The waitress had Nutmeg sold at the mention of homemade English muffins…she did not even need to talk about the jams.
Kelly McFall had a vision for a cafe a dream that was 10-years in the making. Where most people would shy away from a new restaurant project in a fickle, seasonal marketplace with high-end rents, Kelly continued to move her idea forward and recently opened Wilma and Frieda’s Café, a tribute to youthful recollections of her two grandmothers.
Ginger and Nutmeg have done many road trips over the years. There is something exciting about planning any trip, the thrill of discovering a new destination or reaching a well-known endpoint. Packing for a car journey is much less hassle than air travel – no weight restrictions, no security lines, baggage limits are somewhat relaxed and there is no requirement to “undress” your laptop.
Old meets new, and France meets the world in this Parisian market. The trendy Marais district, the third arrondissement, spills northward with new housing and retail stores invading previously unattractive utilitarian spaces. In the midst of this budding urbanization is one of Paris’s oldest covered markets. The entrance off rue de Bretagne is unassuming; inside this compact culinary corner of the capital city is an artist’s palate of international cuisines. Market stalls flaunt glorious blooms in soft pastels and vibrant Crayola shades, seasonal fruit and vegetables from farms of Europe are piled high and fresh catch from the seas rest on icy cradles.
The French ski resort of Val d’Isère is buried at the end of a snowy alpine valley with the Italian border just beyond its steep ridges. For serious skiers, the allure of Val d’Isère is magnetic, as the childhood home of Jean Claude-Killy, the three-time gold medal winner at the Grenoble 1968 Olympics.
Nutmeg has been fortunate enough to visit the Blasket Centre on the Slea Head drive twice, but she has yet to see this view.
The Blaskets are a group of small islands located just off the coast of the Dingle peninsula in Ireland, the westernmost tip of the European continent. The largest of the islands is called the Great Blasket or An Blascaod Mór in Irish it was inhabited until 1953.
The low-altitude, damp, misty, drizzle made for a cool Irish autumn day. Nutmeg was as the expression goes – chilled to the bone. However, Mother Nature’s blows vanished after her first spoonful of carrot-ginger soup. This core-warming broth and the classic brown bread were one of several choices on the market menu in the café at Louis Mulcahy Pottery located in Ballyferriter a remote part of the Dingle Peninsula.
Inch Beach, Slea Head Drive – Dingle Peninsula
Does working in a candy store sounds like a dream job?
Nutmeg was intrigued when she stumbled upon Dannah Davies’ company Canada Sweet Shop. Dannah was born in California, but her heart has been tied to Alberta from a young age. Currently, living in Calgary she says it would take a lot to uproot her, besides she is now lassoed to her sugary trade.
Nutmeg does not really like beer, which may surprise some readers. If the truth were told, she may have consumed more than her fair share during her university days. So, a brewery tour was not high on her list of things to do in their short few days, in Ireland. The hook for Nutmeg is when an interesting product intersects with a unique history. That is certainly the case with the Dingle Brewing Company in County Kerry, Ireland; a story of water, a creamery, an explorer and a lager.
Garlic’s apparent beneficial properties range from improved digestion, reduced inflammation and warding off colds. These and many other medicinal attributes were discovered long ago in central Asia and were documented in a Sanskrit manuscript from 350 – 375 AD.
Market tables heavy with thousands of braided strands of garlic are a certain sign that fall is approaching in Provence. Large, fresh, peppery cloves – nothing like Nutmeg had ever bought at the grocery store in Alberta. Or so she thought before she discovered Jackie Chalmers the owner and cultivator of New Oxley Garlic based in Claresholm, Alberta.
Nutmeg has finally convinced Ginger that snowshoeing is an acceptable form of exercise. AND if you take the snowshoes off before you reach the ski lodge your buddies will not even notice that you did not spend your day freezing on the chairlift and skating down the icy slopes.
For Ginger, it is all about being able to sleep-in and actually has nothing to do with the fitness component.
