GLEN VALLEY, B.C. and HELLO FOCCACIA

It's pleasant to walk the same route almost every day .   We just head out the door; rain or shine.  Vesper even gets excited and begins to hurry when we're getting closer to our coffee spots.  . . she's looking forward to her daily homemade doggie biscotti.  
  

But every once in a while it's an extra-special treat to drive somewhere and see new things.

Turn off the Trans-Canada onto 264th Street and you’ll find yourself going  down and down as a wide, flat expanse opens before you.   Then, the road is lined with the cranberry and blueberry fields of boggy Glen Valley. 
  

There’s parking behind the red-painted heritage Hassall House, a pioneer home built in 1917.  

From there, we walked 1.7 km along the road beside the Fraser River to get to Glen Valley Regional Park.   (Today 4 C above here; -45 with wind chill in Manitoba!)

A nice wide gravelled path leads to picnic tables and a  3 km loop trail.    There's a 
car park here, too, 

so you could actually skip the walk from Hassall House,

 but it was an interesting walk past farms 

and 

sundry "collectibles". 

                                            Also, mysteriously bubbling water. . . 
   

When the trail begins to loop you find a sign inviting you to walk another 2.6 km to Duncan Bar.    

That took a little discussion but off we went past some more lovely places

                                                 and a rotting hulk named Wine O.

Here it is:  Duncan Bar.   2.6 there and 2.6 back . . .  

                                                                        Hmm.   

In total, we walked more than 10 km today.

******

And then we collaborated for supper!  I made soup while Bryan made foccacia:

I’ve made good focaccia before, but I LOVED the texture of this one.  I think the difference is the olive oil in the dough . . . or maybe it’s Bryan’s expert dough-handling!  Anyway, you definitely should give it a try.

FIG, ONION, & GARLIC FOCCACIA

            From:  HELLO magazine: October 5, 2015

DOUGH

1 cup warm water

2 ¼ tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

¼ olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

TOPPINGS

3 onions, thickly sliced

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

10 figs, cut in quarters or a bit smaller

130 g or more goat cheese, crumbled (grating works even if the cheese is soft)

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

1 tsp salt

·        Preheat oven to 400.

·        Stir onions with garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil on a baking sheet.

·        Bake 20 minutes.  Let cool.

·        Stir sugar and yeast into warm water.  Let stand until frothy (5 min).

·        Stir in oil, salt, and most of the flour.  Knead in the rest.

·        Oil the mixing bowl and put in the dough.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

·        Oil a 12x16 inch baking sheet.  Put dough on it and roll out to fill sheet.

·        Brush with remaining 2 tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle with onions, garlic, figs, goat cheese, rosemary, and 1 tsp salt.

·        Cover and let stand 20 minutes.

·        Preheat oven again to 400.

·        Bake 30 minutes.

Serve with soup. . . or just by itself . . . it’s like a pizza.  Delicious!