Nutmeg and Ginger were treated to dinner at this very newly minted Canmore restaurant, it opened on June 18th.  Habitat was reviewed in the Calgary Herald last week, whether that was the reason or the fact that they have done some heavy advertising, the restaurant was full.  It is located in the Grand Rockies Resort on Mountain Street off the Bow Valley Trail in Canmore.  When you arrive in the hotel lobby it is clearly not the standard Rocky Mountain look; there is heavy emphasis on metal, dark wood, gray-black tile, dark granite – no slate or rundle stone anywhere in sight.  In fact, if you closed your eyes to the beautiful mountain view outside you could be in Toronto with the very urban design feel.  There is a great looking kids pool, super-slide and fun splash pond located beyond the lobby – it is fantastically sound proofed and no hint of the awful chlorine smell.
The restaurant theme is…

Recipes & Travel:
Alberta, Canadian Rockies, Canmore, Habitat, Restaurant Reviews, restaurants

Eve may have tempted Adam with an apple, or so the story goes, although it could just have easily been a pear.  The pear grows on trees in cooler temperate climates.  There are about 30 varieties of pears, although in North American grocery stores we may see 3-4 at the height of the season.  Pears (or the equivalent in local languages) have been cultivated since prehistoric times.  There is evidence of the use of pears in Roman times, as well as in parts of Africa and in Asia. Historians have traced the growth of pears in China back 3000 years.

Worldwide production is about 20 million tonnes, of which China produces over 12.5 million tonnes.  Generally, the harvest season for pears is late summer and early fall.  Pears are picked while they are still green, if left to ripen on the tree they turn yellow and starchy.  A single pear has about 100 calories, 6grams of fibre and 10% Vitamin…

Recipes & Travel:
Food Nutritional Facts, Pear Muffins, Recipes with Pears

As you might have gathered thus far, Nutmeg loves good coffee or to be more specific, espresso.  Thankfully, Canmore has some good options in this regard.
Mountain Mercato is located on Main Street in Canmore. This storefront is a few things; deli, coffee shop, specialty food store and a place for a light meal.  Recently, Mountain Mercato expanded their location and created a seating area inside as well as additional street-side patio seats.  Nutmeg has pretty much avoided this place as it is quite pretentious for Canmore.
However, Nutmeg is also insanely curious when it comes to food, retail and of course coffee.  So she decided to head over for a latte after yoga this morning.  The inside expansion has been well done, the seating is very bistro style and well appointed, it looks like it belongs.  The service bar has been expanded allowing for more barrista space.  The outdoor patio seating is awkward as it is essentially two sections separated…

Recipes & Travel:
Canmore Restaurants, Mountain Mercato, Restaurant Reviews, Travel Alberta

The Crossroads Market in Calgary is a year round facility, open Friday to Sunday 9am to 5pm.  The current location at 1235 – 26th Avenue SE, was once a Canada Packers Building…quite fitting for a market.  The indoor/outdoor space is a significant 100,000 square feet. There are over a hundred merchants of “antiques and crafts”  – Nutmeg’s take on this section… JUNK.  Once you get past the old vinyl records and velvet art there is a solid stable of indoor food stands that offer some variety to the somewhat bland Calgary grocery stores. (more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Alberta Farmers Markets, Alberta Organic Produce, Calgary Area Markets, Crossroads Market, Travel Alberta

Dogs really are a man’s best friend. (more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Travel Tips with Pets, Travel with Dogs

Thursday is market day in Canmore, for the summer months only.  New this year, the town closes off the blocks between Main Street (8th) and 10th Street on 7th Avenue.  This central venue in front of the Civic Centre, creates a great pedestrian friendly community gathering place.  The market starts around 8am, “Canmore time“, and runs until about 4pm.  Last Thursday, was one of the three days of summer that Southern Alberta has experienced this year, it was a sunny, cloudless 26 degrees Celsius – perfect for market going. (more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Alberta, Alberta Farmers Markets, Canadian Rockies, Canmore, Organic Produce, Travel Alberta

Nutmeg loves the Crazy Weed Kitchen in Canmore.  The food is consistently good with a strong Asian influence.  Signature starters include; Vietnamese pork meatballs and salt and pepper calamari.  Nutmeg’s favorite main course is the red curry seafood bowl and Ginger loves the fettuccine with chorizo, big shrimp, grilled vegetables and creamy tomatillo and chipotle sauce.
The Crazy Weed can only be described as eclectic.  It is located on Railway Avenue in Canmore, after a move from Main Street a couple years ago.  The building was purpose built for the restaurant, with high ceilings, a green roof that looks a bit shaggy, a design that creates essentially two main dining areas, great mountain vistas and a casual deck.  The decor is simple with white walls and splashes of color in the seating.  The atmosphere is busy and the appearance of unfinished “projects” (art that is still to be hung, herb planters that are still waiting to be finished) seems to…

Recipes & Travel:
Canmore Alberta, Canmore Restaurants, Crazyweed Restaurant, Restaurant Reviews, Travel Alberta

Oregano and his lovely wife hosted a great dinner party this week.   For once, the Calgary weather cooperated and it was truly a perfect July evening.  Hot Chili and the ski guy arrived just before Nutmeg and Ginger. The menu was outstanding, feel free to copy parts or all for your next party as long as  you make sure to invite Nutmeg and credit Oregano.
Here is the line-up:

Starter: seasonal antipasto: citrus shrimp, cheese, grapes, blackberries, olives….
Main: mixed peppers – grilled to perfection, lightly seasoned halibut on the grill, grilled portabello mushrooms
Side: cannellini beans, cooked in the pressure cooker (Oregano’s favorite cooking method) and spiced with oregano – served slightly chilled
Garnish: “signature” lemon marmalade
Desert: vanilla bean ice cream, ruby red grapefruit segments soaked in pink champagne  and garnished with fresh mint
Beverages: red, white and pink ….in copious quantities

All around a fantastic evening; great company, great food and lots of laughs.  However, Ginger would like to complain about his sluggish condition…

Recipes & Travel:
Dinner Parties, Summer entertaining, Summer Menu Ideas

Have you ever had an interview, and after an hour they have tested your ability to answer probing questions like:

Describe a situation when you had to report bad news to a client  (So sorry, too bad so sad…)
Why are you the right candidate for the job? (Don’t you know who I am?)
What are your weaknesses?  (Like I am really going to tell you…)
Describe your greatest accomplishment and why it is significant (Getting paid)

Then out of left field they throw in the wild card question, you know the interview is almost over at this point. What fruit would you use to describe you and why?  Nutmeg was able to answer that one without hesitation.  Without a doubt, her answer is the mango, it grows in warm, frost-free climates, it has a unique flavor, very sweet when ripe and it is widely used in tropical and Asian cuisine.

There are many kinds of mangoes and the growing season varies around the globe. …

Recipes & Travel:
food info, Green Mango Salad Recipe, Healthy Asian Recipes, Healthy Salads

In Calgary, our true farmers market season is painfully short.  There are thankfully some reputable “local” producers, who supply some great produce during the spring and summer months.  It is a joyous occasion when Nutmeg sees the start of the local tomatoes from Gull Valley Greenhouse or Paradise Hill Farm. (more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Alberta Farmers Markets, Alberta Organic Produce, Calgary Area Markets, Travel Alberta