This is now a new tradition for me since the first The Hatchelorette Part 1: Celebrating the Woman Who Was, Is and Will Be. To take some time before the coming of a new human, celebrate and Continue reading
Category Archives: Travel
The Hatchelorette Day 4: Secret Hotsprings and Reflection Time.
My Hatchelorette road trip was designed with the intent to take some time for myself before my first Little Human arrived. I’m 8months pregnant, and I know that this will be the last time I get to travel by myself Continue reading
The Hatchelorette Day 3: Lesson 3 Take the Road Less Travelled.
Lesson 3: Take the Road Less Travelled
One of the most challenging things in life is experiencing disappointment. Often times we are faced with unforeseen obstacles, roadblocks and things that don’t quite go as planned.
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The Hatchelorette: a Pregnant Journey. Lesson 2.
I was lucky enough to get to spend the day with Mark and Emma, for some reason they decided a day with a pregnant lady was going to be more fun than skiing. Continue reading
The Hatchelorette Day 1 : The Long Haul. Lesson 1 – Be Enduring.
Like most rites of passages there always requires a few challenges to overcome. For my Hatchelorette it’s the driving. Over the next 5 days I will endure over 3000km of open road as 8months of pregnancy hormones surge through me. My hips, pelvis, pubis and just everything have begun opening many months before and long stretches of sitting are no easy feat.
Continue reading
I Made Noszki! A Polish Delicacy
One of the things I fell in love with, when I was visiting Adams birthplace, Warsaw, Poland, I was introduced by Ciocia (Auntie) to noszki.
Noszki is a savory seasoned jelly filled with tender pork and typically peas and carrots. Like most cultural dishes there’s many variations including, using shredded turkey, boiled egg, and grzyby (mushrooms).
When I am creating traditional dishes I try to emulate the origianl recipe as much as I can. For those that know me, when I travel you’ll often find me asking about the local staple dish and then tirelessly ordering and eating the same thing in various places.
I do this because it gives me a better idea what the staple dish tastes like. From this form of surveying I dedeuce the ingredients that are common in these dishes and try my best to make my own version applying the secret methods of preparation that I have learned over the years.
The first time I had noszki it was in a prepackaged process form, and I didn’t really care for the flavor or texture. However I knew that this was a widely eaten dish and I endeavored to try it again… and again and again.
The second time I tasted this dish was at a 50’s style milk bar diner where you were able to experience the whole Milk Bar charm. Piece of bread roughly cut and carelessly buttered the. slapped onto a plate and place in front of you. A misshapen overturned bowl of noszki offset on a plate garnished by a smirk from your server.
This was the most amazing noszki ever. A squirt of fresh lemon and a dash of Maggie sauce and my taste buds were exploding. The gelatin was delicate and melted in your mouth and the meat was perfectly spiced with bay leaves and peppercorn with a hint of nutmeg.
From that point on every noszki I tried was delicious. Though not comparable to the milk bar I suddenly understood what it could and should be like.
I find that in most cases. Until I try a very delicious version of a dish, I can’t quite grasp what it should be like. Perhaps it’s the contrast from a terrible rendition to a exquisite one, that allows me to finally crate a palatal spectrum. That’s definitely it, because from here I can imagine all the things in between!
To those that love to eat and those willing to try things, here’s my recipe for noszki.
(And to new readers, when I give recipes I typically only provide the method and the ingredients. This is because I practice cooking to taste so I find giving exact measurements makes it difficult to create the best outcome. )
“Cooking is an experience of the senses, one must learn to listen, taste, and feel in order to understand what the outcome should be.” – M.S
Ingredients
– Pork Hock / Feet
– Gelatin
– Fresh Parsley
– Carrots
– Celery
– Onion
– peppercorn
– salt
– garlic
– marjarom /savoury/ thyme/ oregano (I didn’t have marjoram so I substituted with the other three, using very little oregano)
– bay leaves
– nutmeg
Method
1. Place pork in a pot with just enough water to cover. Add fresh carrots, parsley, celery, onions and garlic. (Leave the whole) Add bay leaves, salt, peppercorn, nutmeg, and marjoram. Boil on medium, until meat falls off the bone. (The longer the better, I boiled mine for about 4hrs) *Add water as needed.
2. Strain the broth through cheese cloth/ fine strainer and return broth to pot.
3. Let meat and vegetables cool enough to dice. Return to pot.
4. Add more water if needed just enough to cover the ingredients. Add more fresh chopped garlic and extra spices to desired flavour. Should taste like a nice stew.
5. Add roughly 1/2tbsp of gelatin per 1c of liquid. Bring to a boil.
5. Remove from heat and pour into moulds!
6. Chill overnight and serve with fresh lemon juice and Maggie sauce on toasted Ozery Morning Rounds!
Please let me know how it goes and feel free to share your photos on Facebook or Instagram with #MelbasKitchen
The Road to 12a – Part 1.
Yet one thing after another kept getting in the way of my climbing goals. Work, time, travel, excuses and excuses. It really mainly came down to not being able to balance work, life and finances to allow for enough climbing time.
2015 was a completed write off due to the Woods Canada Dream Job gig. Which was amazing of course, but I spent maybe 15 days total, climbing that year.
Surfing… In ALBERTA?!
Surfing has been Alberta’s little secret for the past decade or so and in the last few years it’s suddenly become popular.
Travel Photo Challenge 10/10 West Coast Trail,BC
I was nominated by Liberate Wings to post one travel photo a day for the next 10 days. This was the final photo in this series, but due to a high volume of readers showing interest in this oldie but goodies, I might have to toss in a post now and then!
West Coast Trail, BC circa 2006.
This photo I hold very dear because it marked a point in my life where I finally embraced who I always was.
Adventures with AdamsMom: Episode 2 “Lake Louise jest bardzo piękny!”
A Week In Calgary with A Polish Mom.
The same day we hiked Johnston Canyon and Pilot Pond, we decided to also check out Lake Louise. Since AdamsMom only had one week to visit us, we obviously wanted to take her out on as many epic adventures as possible.