1 pound meat or vegetables cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1-2 Tablespoons Biryani Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup natural yogurt or sour cream
slivered almonds, raisins and caramelized onions (optional)

Directions

Brown meat/vegetables in large skillet in oil.  Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Biryani Sauce.  Add 1/2 cup of water and up to 1 cup of natural yogurt or sour cream. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a little hot water during cooking only if required.

Serve over Basmati rice, or serve meat/veggies in layers with the rice.

* A nice option is to garnish with a combination of slivered almonds, raisins and caramelized onions.

Painter Stephen B. MacInnis lives and works in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, where he was also born and raised.

His work is distinctive for its bold use of colour and playful reliance on humour. His figurative paintings are surrealist, allusive, and deeply narrative. Stephen works primarily in oils and watercolours. He paints prolifically, sometimes working on up to four works at a time. His work does not shy away from surface ornamentation or from sheer lush colour, often built up in transparent glazes. Stephen’s work is distinctive for its bold use of colour and playful reliance on humour.  For the past several years he has been exploring abstraction, and recently completed a 3 year project entitled Long Series, a series of 1000, 12×12 inch mixed media paintings. His figurative paintings are surrealist, allusive, and deeply narrative. His work over the past year has shifted away from figurative painting, and moved towards abstraction and assemblage. He continues to try to expand his creative process through experiment and study.

He invites viewers to rely on their imaginations and to trust their own interpretations; hence Stephen is reluctant to comment on his paintings’ meaning.

Stephen formally trained as a commercial designer at Holland College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island but left commercial design to apply his graphic sense to more imaginative works.

His work is represented in public and private collections in Canada, the United States, and overseas.

Stephen B. MacInnis’s work has frequently been selected for book covers and has featured frequently on the cover of The Buzz. Prince Edward Island’s leading arts and entertainment monthly.

From time to time we will be showcasing Island artists and musicians on our blog.

We are so pleased to offer Stephen’s “Black Hearts” as a prize for our Valentine’s Day 2011 draw; click here to enter.

Interested at looking at items Stephen has for sale . Enjoy. We like Stephen’s work, but then again we appreciate all Island artists who are true in working their head, hands, and heart! Congrats Stephen, you go it!

If you enjoy tea and wish it to have a pronounced flavour with a pleasant smokey after taste this tea is for you. I imagine those who like a nice cigar and port would call this one of their favourites. I personally like this tea a lot. The souchong, smoked teas with a distinctive flavour are sometimes described as “tarry” and are a special product of the Fujian province in China. The Fukienese word “souchong” means “sub-variety” that is, a sub-variety of the black teas from the Wuyi mountains of Fujian.

Legend claims that the smoking process was discovered by accident. The leaves are first withered over fires of pine or cypress wood. After pan firing and rolling, they are pressed into wooden barrels and covered with cloth to oxidize until they give off a pleasant fragrance. The leaves are fired again and rolled into taut strips. Then they are placed in bamboo baskets and hung on wooden racks over smoking pine fires to dry and absorb the smoke flavour. When finished they are thick, glossy, black strips and produce a dark red beverage with a unique aroma. Lapsang Souchong is drunk with or without milk and sugar.

Lapsang Souchong is available in two sizes here.

1 head cauliflower
olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
parmesan cheese
1 and 1/2  cups buttermilk, or more
milk or cream ( optional)
1 cup Curry and Cream Sauce
3-4 tsp. Greek Yogurt or sour cream (optional)
chopped fresh or dried parsley (optional garnish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a single layer on a rimmed rectangular baking pan. Drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place  in the hot oven, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. ( depends on floret size) Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

Heat buttermilk and the Curry and Cream Sauce in a medium sized saucepan until heated, but not boiling.  Add the cauliflower florets and heat gently to allow flavours to blend.

In blender, puree mixture to the desired consistency  – additional milk or cream can be added if mixture is too thick.

Reheat pureed soup, if necessary.    Serve with a spoonful of yogurt and a little chopped fresh parsley.

Every year between late early November and early December we bake Pecan, Butter and Chocolate Chip Shortbread as well my favourite; the Oatcakes. A big Thank you  must go out to Lynn and Darlene who do all the festive baking in our restaurant kitchen. Hard to believe but we have had cookies available for over 15 years and have thousands of fans all across North America! We so grateful for those who continue to order them year after year during the limited time the cookies are available. We are also grateful to have many companies who request personalized labeling for their gift giving; just another way of being of service that we enjoy so much!

We use only local butter in our cookies and no oils or lards are used. Our handmade cookies come in packages that include one bakers dozen or two bakers dozen. Order now.

cooked chicken, cut into pieces or shredded
grated carrot
thinly sliced grape tomatoes
cucumber, cut in slivers
shredded lettuce
tortilla wraps
salad dressing or mayo
your favourite cheese, shredded
Sweet Lime Pickle

Directions

Assemble  ingredients in the centre of the wraps, using the salad dressing or mayo of your choice along with a drizzle of Sweet Lime Pickle.  Have more of the Pickle in a ramekin for dipping.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 Tablespoons Butter Masala
1 cup natural yogurt or sour cream
1 onion, diced
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup crushed almonds or cashews (optional)
1/2 – 1  cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon butter, melted (optional)

Directions

Combine 1- 2 Tablespoons of Butter Masala and 1 cup of natural yogurt or sour cream.  Add half of the marinade to the chicken. Marinate for 20 minutes in fridge.
Grill or saute chicken in oil, (after removing most of the marinade) until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside.

In skillet, heat oil on medium heat and when hot, add the onions. Saute until a pale golden brown in color.  Return chicken pieces to pan.

To the rest of the marinade, add up to one cup of water or chicken stock. Add ½ cup of crushed almonds or cashews. Pour over onion and chicken pieces and gently cook until chicken is tender, well cooked and the gravy reduces and thickens a little.  Salt to taste.
Add the Tablespoon of butter for extra buttery flavour.

Serve hot over rice or pasta.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound pork tenderloin
1 large tart apple, such as Granny Smith, (for about 1 cup chopped)
1/2 cup  Mango Chutney, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Combine the flour, thyme, brown sugar, salt, pepper in a large ziploc bag. Add the pork tenderloin and shake to coat all sides. Shake off excess.

In an oven-proof saute pan over high heat, add the pork tenderloin when the oil in the pan is very hot. Sear the tenderloin until browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes.
Place the pan into the oven and roast for about 22-25 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers about 155-160ºF , is slightly pink,with clear juices. Take the pork out of the oven and let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing, and tent loosely with foil to allow the juices to be reabsorbed.  Slice meat diagonally in 1/2 inch slices.

While the pork roasts, core and finely chop (do not peel) the apple. Stir the apple, mango chutney, raisins and water together in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring the sauce. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 6-7 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced. Ladle over the roasted pork tenderloin slices and serve with roasted potatoes, green beans and carrots.

* This meal is equally delicious using the Apple Chutney !

Emma Bridgewater Spot On for Twenty Five Years….

Emma Bridgewater is a woman, mother, wife and business person who started The Emma Bridgewater Pottery Company in 1985 and within a few years it had gained a first-rate reputation for good design and practicality. The fresh modern patterns and shapes proved to be very popular with the British customer who wanted something a little different.

Emma Bridgewater 2 Cup Polka Dot Teapot

Emma Bridgewater has no formal training in design or business management but she had strong ideas. Her intention was to make pottery using traditional methods of production rather than using expensive machinery. Underpinning her approach to all aspects of design was her passion for the family and the English country life.  It wasn’t surprising that she chose to explore the possibilities of decorative treatments using the spongeware technique which was very popular from the late eighteenth century to early twentieth century. It was a simple and effective way of decorating plain ware whilst giving this traditional method a modern contemporary twist. In 1996 Emma commented that she “brought one of the jolliest techniques back to ife in Stoke-on-Trent. Using the cut root of a natural sponge and strong traditional colours, the paintresses have employed their under-utilized skills in relearning the making of spongeware”. Importantly for the new veture spongeware was a good way of decorating pottery to test the market – without have to buy expensive lithograph sheets which would require major investment. All that was required were the sponges themselves.

With her intentions realized, a visit to Stoke-on-Trent reinforced her idea of using traditional methods she found, to her delight, that many manufacturing methods had mostly remained unchanged in the Potteries, as did the skills of the workers in the pottery trade. She was able to secure the services of an experienced modeller, based in a small workshop in Longbrdige Hayes, and soon his entire factory was turned over to the production of her spongewares. In the same way designer Susan Williams-Ellis came to Stoke-on-Trent during the late 1950s to secure the services of a factory to produce a number of ceramic gift wares for the fist at the famous Portmerion village in North Wales. Susan’s first designs proved popular, which led eventually to her buying the W.E. Gray & Co. Ltd factory in 1960 and starting production in her own right.

Emma Bridgewater Designs are for Living

Emma Bridgewater understood that there was a gap in the market for a fresh look using simple patterning on recognizably English shapes. In 1985 the potteries were turning out an unappetising selection of wares in pastel shades, with designs oftern commbining superannuated tradition with an uneasy informality. Her simple motifs such as leaves, stars, and sprigs were repeated to create corders, centre motifs and concentric bnads in bold, but not garish, colours. From the start Enna was very clear hat she wanted ato design her own shapes and not to resort to eh debased Edwardian models then available on the open market. This has also been improtant to the pottery designer Susie Cooper in the 1930′s, as she beleived that to be a good designer one had to have complete control over both pattern and shape. this was far from standard practice. The existence of what were know as “open stock” patterns of unacknowledgeable authorship, and widely available resouce of effect, “undesigned”: one floral motif might well appear on the work of half-a-dozen factories while a cup or teapot shape might be freely available.

The first Bridgewater shape was an earthenware mug, based on a traditional nineteenth century creamware example, which was soon followed by a jug and bowl. Her earliest wares were cast in Stoke, decorated in Emma’s kitchen in London, and then driven back up the M6 for their final firing. Late in 1985 Emma took a stall at Covent Garden’s Jubilee Market. The led to a number of sales and, importantly, the very first contacts with wholesale customers who were always on the lookout for something new. Equally important, she took her first trade stand at the Top Drawer Fair in London in 1986. Her striking display of ware gained much press coverage and gained Emma new London stockists such as Harrods, Liberty, and The General Trading Company.

This was the period in which increasing numbers of women were going out to work, leading to a gradual change in family eating habits. Casual dining was becoming the norm and Emma was the forefront of this, her designs being the antithesis of the formal dinner service.  As demand increased, new shapes and combinations were introduced to cater for practically all needs including tea sets, dinnerware, breakfast sets, mugs, and nursery china.  Mugs were an important part of the business from the beginning again a reflection of the moe away from formal teatime with cups and saucers, to a less ceremonious mug or coffee in the kitchen, garden or office. Significantly for Bridgewater, the mug became a standard present.

Matthew Rice and his Contribution

Another significant factor in the continuing development of the Bridgwater business was the important contribution made by Matthew Rice whom Emma married in 1987. He had previoulsy establised a furniture design company, David Linley Furniture, with David Linely, son of Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret, and old friend from Bedales School. They produced a range of beautiful desk accessories as well as illustrations for marquetry designs. Following his marriage he left David Linely Furniture to join forces with Emma, collaborating on designs in partnership with her.

Among the first commercially successful patterns from Bridgwater were Figs produced along Vine, Olives, Farmyard, Chintz and Lilies. These patterns flowed in an undisciplined wal all over the many shapes of the Kitchen Dresser range. In stark contrast. 1992 saw the launch of one of the most enduring patterns, Black Toast and Marmalade. This was a simple border design of letters inspired by a reproduction plante bearing a suffragette slogan, “Votes for Women”. This resonated with Emma and gave her the ideas to use letters and words, both as a patters, and as a tempting evocative description of desirable teatime treats. It was also a significant technical departure for Bridgewater, being a printed transfer design rather than hand applied spongeware. Despite being treated in a very different style from her previous designs, the range proved very popular, subsequently leading to the addition of colour variations such as Blue Toast, Christmas Toast, and in 2009, White Toast. The range has been widely copied by many pottery manufacturers and retailers.

Prince Edward Island Preserve Company is working with Emma Bridgewater and company to bring her product line to more people; particularly in North America.  From time to time there will be more information shared on the history, process, and what is new with this wonderful line of pottery via this blog. Stay tuned.