CAMPING at KINGDOM LAKE

 It’s always a lot of work preparing the food for a camping trip . . . so I try to have fun with it, too.

It was a long drive so we stopped in Lillooet for lunch on the road.   

It was a good weekend for sighting wildlife from the car: grouse, deer, elk, mountain goats!  In camp, there were squirrels, chipmunks, and friendly Whiskey Jacks.

I missed taking a picture of an amazing BIG mushroom:  bright red with yellow spots!

Consolation photo: a great big frog!

I made a bologna-cheese appie for Happy Hour.  It was hopeless and Bohdan Zahny's Buckwheat Bread was worse, but the wine

 

smoothed the rough edges.

Dinner featured yummy beans baked with peaches and apples and dolloped with yogurt!

The leftover beans went great with breakfast, too.

It got pretty chilly at night, but the layers worked.

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HAM-CARROT SALAD SANDWICH (4 servings)

            From ideals Soup, Salad, Sandwich Cookbook by June Turner and Naomi Arbit

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ tsp dry mustard

2 cups grated carrot

½ cup raisins

4 thick ham slices

8 slices pumpernickel  (dark bread)

Mix together mayo, mustard, carrot, and raisins. 

Spread on bread.

Add ham slices.

Cover with another slice of bread. 

LORNE & SHANNON . . . and . . . THE CAKE!

After dinner, there were speeches

 dancing and visiting

  laughing

and the cake which was made by Shannon's mother!

May your life together, Shannon and Lorne, be as beautiful as your wedding!

WEDDING FEAST . . . and Cinnamon Romaine Salad

About a month before the wedding Aline went up to Swan River to spearhead the preparation of perogies and cabbage rolls.

                  Trolleys came out for the Head Table, but

                             

                                  Table 6 didn’t have to wait long.

This is Bryan’s colorful plate. 

Mine was not as colorful but more focused:  Roast beef, cabbage rolls, perogies, yes!

And did I mention the Cherry Cheesecake?

Then there was the "LUNCH" around 10 pm!

*****

Now do you have to wonder why I’m working on salads at home?

CINNAMON ROMAINE SALAD:  serves 6  

            From:  ideals Soup, Salad, Sandwich Cookbook by Jane Turner and Naomi Arbit

8 cups romaine, torn  

½ cup pimiento (or roast your own red pepper)

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1/16 tsp cinnamon

¼ cup salad oil

¼ cup lemon juice

·        Chop pimiento.

·         Add pimiento to romaine in large salad bowl.

·        In a small jar, shake sugar, salt, cinnamon, oil, and lemon juice.

·        Toss salad with dressing just before serving.

HEAD TABLE PROCESSIONAL . . . and another Turkish Salad

Ariana and Chay

Kacy and Nick

Morene and Lee

Shancyn, the Maid of Honor and Shannon's niece with her father, Paul

SHANNON and LORNE

******

“Love understands all languages.”

(Yes, it's another Ukrainian proverb.)

One of Shannon’s relatives told me that their family is made up of a variety of cultures.

Blending heritage . . . that’s something Ukrainians can do very well. 

Annette Ogrodnik Corona notes that “During the course of history . . . Ukrainians accepted and adopted some of their invaders rather strange and unusual cooking . . .” and Ukrainian stuffed vegetable dishes “are actually modifications of Turkish dolmas.”

Lately, I’ve been finding some fantastic Turkish recipes.

 ZUCCHINI YOGURT SALAD (Yogurtlu Kabak Salatasi)

        From Neset Eren’s THE ART OF TURKISH COOKING

2 ½ lbs zucchini

1 tbsp butter

¼ cup water

½ cup yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

·        Julienne zucchini finely (or grate coarsely).

·        Put butter and water in a large pot.  Stir over high heat until all the water is gone.

·        Remove from heat and let cool.

·        Stir in yogurt, garlic, mint, salt, vinegar, and oil.

·        Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. 

(This is such a fantastic salad that my daughter made it the very next day for herself.) 

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Now, we've got the bride and groom to sit so soon we can get down to DINNER!

TABLE 6

While we waited for the Head Table to arrive . . .

We also wandered about a bit ‘getting the lay of the land’.

                            Even the toilet stalls were decorated!

I ogled the magnificent dessert table – a lot of it the product of Shannon’s mom!

                Wow! a little table of special treats for the kids.

                        I took special note of the cheesecakes. 

Later on, the cherry cheesecake almost blew my mind.

Who could resist a little nibble of the fudge that was beside everyone's plate ?

                            Bet you can't wait to see what's for dinner!

HERE COMES THE BRIDE!

  

Shannon and her father, Ed  

“You cannot hide light or love.”    

“Wealth begins with a wife.”   . . .  another Ukrainian proverb

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Super special events must be matched with super special food:

Bohdan Zahny’s  NOODLE & MUSHROOM STUFFING for ROAST DUCK

            From:   THE BEST OF UKRAINIAN CUISINE

1 pound mushrooms

1 onion

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

½ pound broad egg noodles (dried)

2 eggs

·        Finely julienne or grate mushrooms (not in food processor).

·        Finely chop onion.

·        Fry onions and mushroom in butter for 10 minutes.

·        Add salt, pepper, and chopped dill.

·        Cook noodles.   Let cool.

·        Stir mushroom mixture into the noodles.

·        Separate eggs.  Beat egg whites until frothy.  Then beat yolks in a different bowl.

·        Stir yolks and then egg whites into the mushroom/noodles.

·        Stuff duck loosely.

“Best stuffing ever,” declared my dinner guests.

                                                                  *****

Dude!  Outtake.