Gananoque, ON

I found a full leg of pork the other day and decided I just had to have it. Didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it but I had to have it. So I researched online and found this fabulous Cuban recipe by Martha Stewart. With that settled, what to have on the side? Well Cuba Libres and Mojito as cocktails for sure :0) That was easy!!
How about Black Beans and Rice! What else would go with it? . . . Twice fried Plantains!

OMG was that a great meal if I do say so myself :0) The flavours with fabulous and everyone left happy.

To quote Martha: "Not to be confused with ham, a fresh leg of pork is relatively uncommon today, despite its sumptuous layer of excess fat and accompanying flavor. This natural cushioning is rendered during roasting, enveloping the meat in goodness and allowing the skin above to crisp into the best cracklings you'll ever encounter. The traditional Cuban way with pork is to dress it with oregano and lemon, an apprach that couldn't be easier -- or better!"

Not one word of a lie nor exageration!!!

Roasted Leg of Pork with Cracklings - Serves 10

3 heads garlic, minced, plus 5 cloves halved

1/4 cup grated lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 bunches fresh oregano, chopped

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

11/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

1 leg of pork (20 pounds), bone-in, skin-on

2 cups dry white wine

1. Mix minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and the oil in a medium bowl.
2. Using a sharp knife, make parallel cuts all over pork leg, cutting through skin and fat (but not meat), spacing cuts 1/2 inch apart. Using a paring knife, cut ten 1/2-inch slits into meat (between parallel cuts). Stuff each slit with a halved garlic clove.
3. Pat garlic mixture all over pork, pushing paste between each parallel line and covering pork. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large plastic bag set in a pan (such as a turkey roasting bag), leaving top open to let skin dry. Refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days).
4. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven. Remove pork from bag, and place in a large roasting pan, skin side up. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature. Season again with salt and pepper, and pour wine in pan. Roast for 45 minutes, reduce heat to 350, and continue roasting until thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 3 hours. (Check temperature every 15 minutes during final hour of roasting.) Let rest at least 1 hour before serving. Being so large it will remain warm for serving.

Then was the side dish of Black Beans and Rice. You can make it the long way or the quick way. I chose quick!

Black Beans with Rice - serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled, and mashed with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

Olive oil for sautéing

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons vinegar

3/4 cup dry Spanish wine

1 can of cooked Black Beans

Cilantro for garnish

4 cups cooked white rice (I use Basmati)

1. Chop onion and green pepper. Mash the garlic with salt and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle.
2. Sauté the onions and green pepper in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add mashed garlic and sauté another minute or so.
3. Add the cooked beans, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, vinegar, and wine. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.
4. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stir in the sugar; then drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the beans. Immediately cover the pot, remove from heat, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Serve the by now fantastically prepared black beans over white rice. You may garnish the beans with cilantro and chopped white onions. Not only do they look good presented this way, they taste even better than they look.

Twice Fried Plantains

Peanut oil for frying

2 Green plantains peeled and cut into 2" slices

Salt

1. Peel the plantain: Cut the ends of each plantain off with a sharp knife. Use the knife to cut through the peel only the entire lenth of the plantain. Loosen the peel along the cut and remove peel by hand.
2. Cut the plantain into slices, about 2" to 2 1/2" wide.
3. Fill a large skillet a third full with oil and heat over medium-high heat to a temperature of about 300 degrees F. Once the oil is hot, fry the plantain slices for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, just long enough to make them soft.
4. Remove the plantains and drain on paper towels. Use a plantain press or a brown paper bag folded over (or wax paper) to smash the plantains to about half their thickness.
5. Let the oil come back to a higher temperature -- this time about 375 degrees F. Fry once again, turning occasionally, until golden brown on both sides.
6. Remove and use paper towels to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and serve.

I hope you enjoy this Cuban meal as much as we did. If you try it, please come back and share the experience.

With the 251st birthday of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns being celebrated on, before, or after Jan. 25, I think it only appropriate to acknowledge the great little man here.

I have celebrated Burns Night a good many times and I give you some personal background:

When I was 25 years old, I flew to Scotland to meet my love and I was proposed to in Edinburgh Castle. We travelled to Ayr to visit with friends and family and they took me on a tour of Robert Burns former home and surrounding area, and it was then my love for Scotland took root. Years later, I moved to Northern Ireland and once a month I would take the ferry over to Troon, Scotland (just down from Ayr) and I would, over a weekend, drive the triangle of Glasgow, Aberdeen, an Edingburgh in no order and then back on the ferry to Belfast. I did this for several years and loved every moment of it. . . The countryside is glorious, the people fantastic and each trip memorable in its own way.

But enough about me and more about the wee man:

Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759 in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland. His early years were filled with hardships and severe manual labor. As a child, he received little schooling, As he grew older, Burns became sour and alienated many of his friends; mainly due to his support of the French Revolution. His health began deteriorating and he fell into despondency and habits of intemperance.

He died at the age of 37, having gone against his doctor's advice to give up the drink. Had it not been for his extraordinary genius, he might have lived and died a typical ne'er-do-well. His fondness for the ladies, without benefit of clergy (he did finally marry Jean Armour - after they'd had four children), fondness for drink, and a complete lack of business sense have been the downfall of many a charming young man. While with Jean, he was thinking about moving to Jamaica to become a bookkeeper on a plantation!

But Robbie Burns was more than charming, more than handsome. He had a genuine love for people, a real respect for the down-and-outers of the world, and he really did love all those ladies (and they loved him back). He worked extremely hard at his poetry and his songs (for which he never accepted a penny, he considered the songs his gift to the Scottish people). This generosity of spirit marks what is best in the heart of man, and that is why the Scots took Rabbie Burns into their hearts and why we take him into ours.

From Wikipedia: A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night

So if you so desire a Robert Burns night in your home over the next few days, this is the Grace that is said the world over:

O thou who kindly dost provide
For every creature's want!
We bless Thee, God of Nature wide,
For all Thy goodness lent:
And if it please Thee, Heavenly Guide,
May never worse be sent;
But, whether granted, or denied,
Lord, bless us with content. Amen!

Gananoque, ON

This is a decision which many people face, and the decision is not as easy to make as it may sound. As a homeowner, you can reasonably expect the equity in your home to increase over time as your mortgage is paid down. That, combined with regular appreciation in property values, can be a rapid and rewarding way to increase your net worth. In contrast, the person renting over the same amount of time is left with no property investment but may have enjoyed lower living expenses and the opportunity to invest in other opportunities. When comparing owning to renting, you have to add up all of the figures, including the cost of your home, the size of your down payment, utilities, immediate repairs, interest rates and insurance, and compare them with how much you are currently spending on rent. Of course, you also have to place a value on the enjoyment and satisfaction that you will derive from owning your own home. Tired of Renting? Contact me soon because the downpayment rules may be changing soon which might make it more difficult to get into the market.

Gananoque, ON

Even though household debt relative to income has risen sharply in Canada, it is well below U.S. and British levels. In a reactive rather than proactive response, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in a recent interview;

"Canada may require people taking out mortgages to come up with a larger down-payment if it looks like indebtedness is getting too high. The likely action we will take is to increase the size of the down-payment from 5 per cent to a higher number and reduce the amortization -- bring it down from 35 years to something less."

What this means to the hopeful future homeowner is that you'd better JUMP into the housing market pretty darn quick! No more sitting on the fence. No more waiting for the stars to be aligned and the moon to be in the right quarter. JUMP and JUMP FAST!

TICK TOCK GANANOQUE

It also means the same to the existing homeowner who has outgrown their home and is hoping to move up.

TICK TOCK GANANOQUE

Right now, first time buyers have a few options to them such as buying a home with 0 - 5% as a down-payment. Some institutions are providing Cash-Back options. What the numbers show are:

Purchase price $100,000 = a downpayment requirement of zero dollars up to $5000
(plus closing costs - Right now a first time buyer is rebated their Land Transfer Tax too - more to follow on that subject!)

[not that there are many homes available for $100K but I made it simple math!]

Calculating on a current 5 year term @ 3.89% over a 35 year amortization, the monthly P & I payment would be $434.35

If the 35 year amortization is reduced to a maximum 25 year amortization the monthly payment increases to $520.07

That in itself, will reduce the amount of mortgage you will qualify for because your Debt Ratio will be higher.

TICK TOCK GANANOQUE

Add to that the increased down-payment amount that might become a requirement . . .

Popular thinking is that the downpayment requirement might jump from 5% to 10%

How long has it taken you to save $5000 to allow you to buy a $100,000 home? (Most likely it will be a $150K plus home)

Will you be able to save $15000 for the down-payment anytime soon? (plus your closing costs??)

TICK TOCK GANANOQUE

If you are already fortunate enough to be in your first home - congratulations to you!!! But these potential new rules apply to you too I'm sorry to say. If you are a typical first time home owner, you most likely purchased your home with zero money down, in the past 2 - 3 years, correct?

You've made some improvements to the home, yes? You've increased your family size and have outgrown the home or you feel your position has improved somewhat? You're ready to take a step up but again, I say to you:

TICK TOCK GANANOQUE

This change is going to affect your new purchase, with you too needing more of a down-payment. But more importantly, it is also going to affect the sale of your existing home because there will be fewer people in a position to buy because they haven't been able to save the new required down-payment.

I say to you; get your home listed for sale quickly and begin your search for your new place just as quickly :0)

TICK TOCK GANANOQUE

And while you're at it, write a letter to your MP stating how this will only become a horrible downward spiral!

I can help you find that perfect place so give me a call to get you the best deal - I love to negotiate! I also use innovative selling techniques to get your home sold fast! BUYING or SELLING - I'M YOUR REPRESENTATIVE in Gananoque, Kingston and the 1000 Islands!

Gananoque - ON

HOT ROAST COMPANY - 198 King St East, Gananoque, ON 613-382-4498

This fabulous new sandwich restaraunt has opened it's doors and have allowed customers to flood in and rave about the scrumptious selections they have available. On display in the steamy front window is huge roast pork, roast beef, roast turkey and roast ham - YUM!

Carved to order, you can choose from any of the Hot Roasts on a roll for only $4.95 !!!

The day we went, I chose the Roast Beef with horseradish with a cup of Minestrone Soup and a green salad. My husband chose the Roast Turkey with Cranberry Sauce.

My soup was served in an old fashioned tea cup and if I'd known it was to be sooooo goood, I would have ordered a casserole bowl full! It was absolutely delish; large pieces of sausage and perfectly cooked pasta in a broth I couldn't get enough of. When I bit into my Roast Beef Roll - OMG. It was like pot roast your Granny cooked. FANTASTIC!!!

My huband was noticeably quiet and I realized he was LOVING his Roast Turkey with Cranberry. I laughed because this was just days before Christmas and he would be eating turkey and cranberry all over again. (I'm not a fan of turkey but do make it for my family)

My green salad was just the perfect portion and had the crispest of thinly sliced cucumber and carrot.

We finished our meal with homemade scone with cream & jam - if it had been clotted cream I would have chosen that too but instead I chose the homemade banana bread - warm from the oven - again OMG!

I was raving about this place when I returned to the office and to shut me up, the support staff all decided to try it too - again, they LOVED the food and LOVED the prices too. One of the ladies had the Roast Meat Salad Plate for $5.95. She chose the roast beef with a side of garden salad, potato salad and coleslaw. Everyone gave the food 2 thumbs up!

The decor is evolving; exposed brick walls, huge big windows, bright vibrant colours, comfortable seating. At the moment, with the cold winter weather, the warm, fragrant steamy inside is divine. I can see how it will change with the summer weather and the hundreds of tourists who arrive each day.

The owners; Gorden Stoddart (from just outside Glasgow, Scotland - complete with heavy accent)
his girlfriend Georgina Sutherland and her Father Harry Sutherland, have created something special in the heart of Gananoque. I wish them the greatest success and I hope, if and when you're in the area, that you'll stop in for a visit and a sandwich. Say Hi from me :0)