Gananoque Kick-Starts Downtown Revitalization -

Gananoque is revitalizing its downtown core to promote and support economic development and create jobs. Through the Rural Economic Development Program, Ontario is helping Gananoque to:

1. enhance landscaping and signage in the downtown core

2. Market special events promoting downtown Gananoque

3. Encourage tourists and residents to stop and shop in the community

4. Attract new businesses

5. Create opportunities for new jobs

"This project will create jobs and help beautify the streetscape in Gananoque's downtown core, bringing new investment and retail opportunities to the town. Renewing interest in the downtown core will increase traffic and customers for the local businesses." - Leona Dombrowsky
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

"We are thrilled to welcome the province as a partner in helping to revitalize Gananoque's historical downtown area. With this support, we move even closer to our goal of attracting and supporting new businesses, by improving and marketing our downtown commercial area."

- James E. Garrah
Mayor of the Town of Gananoque

It was my brother's BD on the weekend and we had a dinner party in his honour. Wanting something that little bit different, I chose duck and it turned out beautifully!!! (and the house smelled gorgeous!!)

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 2 oranges, ends trimmed and discarded, each cut into 5 rounds
  
  
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 14 ounces chicken livers, fat trimmed
• 10 large fresh sage leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups diced peeled pears (about 2 medium)
  
  
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 4 1/2- to 5-pound ducks, thawed if frozen, excess fat trimmed, rinsed, patted dry
• 2 tablespoons honey

Preparation

Combine sugar and 2 2/3 cups water in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add orange slices and boil gently until orange peels are almost translucent, about 30 minutes. Drain. Place orange slices on rack set over plate and let drain another 30 minutes. Cut slices into 1/2-inch dice. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken livers, sage, and garlic; sauté until livers are browned but still slightly pink inside, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Cut chicken livers into 1/2-inch dice; return to skillet. Mix in pears and diced candied oranges. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Boil wine in small saucepan for 3 minutes to allow alcohol to cook away; set aside. Sprinkle duck cavities with salt and pepper. Fill cavities with liver stuffing, dividing equally. Close cavity openings with small metal skewers. Place ducks in large roasting pan. Brush ducks with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast ducks 20 minutes. Pour wine into roasting pan. Brush ducks with honey. Continue to roast until ducks are cooked through and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with fork, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer. Transfer ducks to platter. Spoon fat off top of pan juices and discard. Pour pan juices into small bowl (I used individual shot glasses for each person); season with salt and pepper. Serve ducks and stuffing with pan juices.

Home needed for 2 cuties: Even if you can't take these dogs, please pass along to everyone in your email list & maybe they will find a home.

Contact: Katherine at: kjmorris74@yahoo.com

We are moving overseas (Africa) in just 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I have still not been able to find a good home for Cookie and Coco . We ' re not able to take our beloved doggies with us and I ' ve been desperately trying to find a home for both of them ' together ' . They were raised together and pine without each other. The Lab rescue have already said that they would probably separate them, so this is my last resort. Recently I tried to take Coco out in my car alone and she TOTALLY refused to even get into the car without Cookie......!!!! She absolutely pulled back on her haunches until Cookie was by her side.

Both doggies are in great health, have been spayed and have ID chips implanted under the skin.

Cookie turned 3 December 10th and Coco turned 3 April 1st. Cookie is my mellow-yellow, and just loves her tummy rubbed. Coco is adorably funny and lives for her "ball." She also loves the water...... Cookie loves lots of attention. Both doggies are loyal and love to walk. They have been raised with my 3 kids running around all over the place, and have survived Sammy ' s constant hugging and love of ' dress-up ' , so they are fantastic family dogs. This is by far one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but under the circumstances I have no choice.

Please, please forward these pics to all your friends. I want to find a great home for these fabulous doggies. They are just adorable and it ' s heartbreaking to let them go. In a perfect world, I hope that we could find someone local so that we can still keep in touch and visit them. I pray that someone, somewhere can help us keep Cookie and Coco together, and love them just as much as we do.Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. kjmorris74@yahoo.com

Today is the first day of Autumn which means our Canadian Thanksgiving is just around the corner: the 1st Monday of October. NO IT'S NOT!!! IT IS THE 2ND MONDAY - I MUST HAVE BEEN THINKING OF LABOUR DAY IN SEPTEMBER BEING THE 1ST MONDAY!!! Thanks Sylvie :0)

[I believe the Canadian festival is earlier than the American because our
harvest is earlier due to the colder weather?] Anyway . . .

I have been attempting to schedule the extended family for our Thanksgiving and I'm almost there with only 2 family members left who haven't rearranged their lives to accommodate everyone else :0) In doing so, I felt I had to share the turkey recipe that is a must in our home for any turkey dinner.
When I first came across this in the UK, it sounded strange and it intrigued me. I had to wait until I returned to Canada to try it though as this crowd is a little more adventurous !!! It is long, it sounds time consuming but it really isn't. (You do need to begin at least the day before your meal though)

Brined and Spiced Super Juicy Roast Turkey ~ Nigella Lawson

• 10 pints 11 fluid ounces (6 liters) water
• 4 1/4-ounces (125 grams) table salt
• 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 4 cloves
• 2 tablespoons allspice berries
• 4 star anise
• 2 tablespoons white mustard seeds
• 7 ounces (200 grams) caster sugar
• 2 onions, quartered
• 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, cut into 6 slices
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons clear honey
• Handful fresh parsley leaves, optional (only if you've got some parsley hanging around)
• 1 orange, quartered
• 1 (9 to 11 1/4-pound) (4 to 5-kg) turkey

For the basting glaze:

• 2 3/4 ounces (75 grams) butter
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

For the turkey:

Directions

Place the water into your largest cooking pot or bucket/plastic bin and add all the turkey ingredients, stirring to dissolve the salt, sugar, syrup and honey. (Squeeze the juice of the orange quarters into the brine before you chuck in the pieces.)

Untie and remove any string or trussing attached to the turkey, shake it free and add it to the liquid. Add more water if the turkey is not completely submerged. Keep the mixture in a cold place, even outside overnight or for up 1 or 2 days before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid (and wiping it dry with kitchen-towel) a good 40 or 50 minutes before it has to go into the oven. Turkeys - indeed this is the case for all meat - should be at room temperature before being put in the preheated oven. If you're at all concerned - the cold water in the brine will really chill this bird - then just cook the turkey for longer than its actual weight requires.

For the basting glaze:

Place the butter and syrup into a saucepan and cook over a low heat, while stirring, until the ingredients have melted and combined.

Brush the turkey with the glaze before roasting, and baste periodically throughout the roasting time.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cook the turkey for 30 minutes at this relatively high temperature, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and continue cooking, turning the oven back up to 425 degrees F for the final15 minutes or so if you want to give a browning boost to the skin. For a 9 to 11-pound turkey, allow 2 1/2 to 3-hours in total. But remember that ovens vary enormously, so just check by piercing the flesh between leg and body with a small sharp knife: when the juices run clear, the turkey is cooked.

Just as it's crucial to let the turkey come to room temperature before it goes in to the oven, so it's important to let it stand out of the oven for a good 20 minutes before you actually carve it.

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This makes the most amazing turkey I've ever tasted. Moist, juicy, gorgeous!!!! You really have to try it at least once and you'll never make turkey or poultry for that matter, any other way again! Stay tuned and I'll give you some great ideas to serve with it. Nigella's allspice gravy is fantastic with this. As with all brined dishes, you'll not get your normal gravy from the drippings in the pan.

Once upon a time . . .

a Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married, and had a little sweet potato, which they called 'Yam.'

0f course, they wanted the best for Yam.

When it was time, they told her about the facts of life...

They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato' and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots.

Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her!

But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either.

She would get plenty of exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins.

When she went off to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland...

And the greasy guys from France called the French Fries. And when she went out west, to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped.

Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Golds, or the ones from the other side of the tracks who advertise their trade on all the trucks that say 'Frito Lay.'

Mr. and Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University) so that when she graduated she'd really be in the Chips.

But in spite of all they did for her, one day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw!?!?

Mr. and Mrs. Potato were very upset. They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he's just...

Are you ready for this?

OK! Here it is
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A COMMONTATER