The Garden Part 2

Well you got to love the weather in the Crowsnest Pass. Last week end saw me happily working away in my garden , cleaning and planting and getting everything ship shape for the summer season. Then the weatherman hit with his news * SNOW* freezing temperatures etc. etc. etc.  There should be a law against weathermen changing their minds. When I planted all those flowers there wasn't a temperature lower than 6 C predicted. Then  it changed. So out came the tarps and the plastic and all the flowers got covered or brought in the house.

   The little guys look like they made out ok but time will tell. The forecast now is looking better so maybe the tarps can come off today. It's the end of May for god sakes!

On a better note the green house is doing well. Had the first salad from lettuce grown there earlier this week. What a great taste. Soon the watercress and spinach will be usable. So things aren't so bad.

The New Room

Over the winter we have been upgrading our last guest room. That makes 4 in all. Now with spring here the room is ready for use. I must admit it's turned out very well although a touch small compared to some of the others even if it is the same size as The Garden room. Have a look.

Now all it needs is a name and for me to solve the problem of what type of head board to use on these beds we have that can be an oversize queen or 2 twins depending on whats required.

Strange Search Terms and Stuff

I was looking at the stats analysis on the blog and came across the page that gives you the search terms that people use to find a site. In the case of this site its no surprise that "Country Encounters" was the number one search term. Now there was some terms that are not so unusual. Things like "Alberta Chef's Blog" and " Crowsnest Pass Blog"  seem reasonable. Then come the off the wall ones "bed and breakfast recipes "scalloped potatoes" ,
" Who makes wedding cakes in the crow's nest pass" and

my all time favourite  "how do you pronounce the christmas
 bread - panettone"

To all that have searched and found us: Thank You

To the person looking for Scallop Potatoes: I hope they worked out

To  the wedding cake people: Yes we do make cakes ... sometimes 

and finally to the person wanting to know
 how to say the name of the Italian Christmas Bread: 
I was told it was pronounced pan - a-  toni 

And on a slightly different topic: referring sites. 

Still the number one site to refer people to here is :John Prince's blog 
followed closely by CNPLive .  

Thank you Guys for the links  

Pass promo video

A promotional video of the Crowsnest Pass I found interesting. Hats off to the folks over at Community Futures

Tapas and Wine Tasting Night

Recently we hosted for a group, a tapas and wine tasting night here at the house. From my point of view it was a lot of fun and how couldn't it be- I got to cook and serve a bunch of really cool stuff to a group that really enjoyed themselves. When I was talking with a friend about the evening they suggested that it might be something that we could do here. Do up a menu and offer tickets for sale to the general public. Well after bouncing it off my partner in crime, we came to the conclusion it would be fun and there might be enough folks around here interested in coming to such an event. We would be looking at not more than 24 people on an evening in January or February to gather together tasting good food and wine, learning alittle and having fun. Any takers?

Continuing Education Classes

For the first time in many years I taught a Con-Ed class last week. It was as much fun as I remembered. The ladies that joined me gathered around the bar that separates the kitchen from the rest of the house and we chatted and I cooked. The topic of the class was Hors d'œuvre. You know, those little bite size wonders that sends hostesses into fits. Well we made a bunch of easy, many do- ahead, items that work really well, sampling all the while.  

  
Thanks again for coming Ladies. I hope to see you again in other classes.
Anyone who is interested in joining us can register with Toni and CNP Adult Education 

Hors d’oeuvres – Intermediate

Make simple and elegant hors d’oeuvres that will allow freedom through advanced preparation so you are able to both enjoy your party and impress your guests. These great do ahead treats are sure to be a hit!!!

Dates: Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cost: $25.00
Instructor: Dawn Rigby
Location: Country Encounters Hospitality – 7701 17th Avenue Coleman
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 3, 2010
To Register: 403-562-2853

How to Make Sushi

Learn the special techniques of Japanese cooks to make these easy recipes in your own kitchen. You will work with special tools and ingredients and learn how to select the freshest foods available to you. You are sure to wow any dinner guest with these hand-made beauties. Nori rolls and Nagari made easy!!!

Dates: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cost: $25.00
Instructor: Dawn Rigby
Location: Country Encounters Hospitality – 7701 17th Avenue Coleman
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 10, 2010
To Register: 403-562-2853

The Walking Trail System in The Crowsnest Pass

I spent awhile this morning reading the information available on the new walking trail system that a group of dedicated people have been working on for sometime now. You can find the overall plan here. Now I have heard of this trail and seen portions of it but I never really realized what an asset it is and is going to be in the future. As the master plan continues to be implemented  we are going to have a recreational device for residents and visitors that is second to none. Just the sign and kiosk plans alone will be worth a fortune to those of us in the tourism business let a lone the value to the people that live here. Now is the time to start thinking of ways to incorporate this new "attraction" into our marketing plans. It truly is a step in the right direction to making the Crowsnest pass a destination.   

New Look

We have been working ( very slowly if you ask me) on painting the outside of the building:
Here's the results:

Prairie N' Peaks Quilt Festival 2011

In conjunction with the folks in Pincher Creek  a group of us here in the Pass are involved in organizing this event. And what an event it will be. 10 days full of workshops, lectures, markets, dinners etc,etc, etc,  Check here Prairie N' Peaks Quilt Festival  for more information and updates as they are released.

Our newest flyer

End of the Season

With the snow last night, came the realization that the end of summer is pretty much upon us. Was it a good season? Well the weather was a little shakey but the tourists were plentiful and things went well. The new kitchen
held up reasonably well and the functions went great.  The last big one till Christmas season is Saturday Sept 25.
The Harvest of Memories is  the Crowsnest Museum's annual fundraiser  so come out and support the museum and have a wonderful night out.

Dine alberta, Source Local and Culinary Tourism

As relatively new travel trend (ok so the trend is not new just the name) Culinary Tourism sounds interesting and right up my alley. I mean that’s how we like to travel, go to a place, immerse ourselves in the culture, history, and food of the area and then head home. Our trip to Japan (2004) was like that. Our trip to England (2007) was definitely like that. Our trip to New Orleans (2008) was the most reflective of that style of travel. The true question is can it be a trend here in the Pass?

Let’s face it the Pass is not known for its fine restaurants or food outlets. When guests think of here(if they do) they think mountains, fishing, snowmobiling, relaxation, and maybe visiting family but fine restaurants are not on the list. What food outlets do we have to choose from? Popiel's, The Tin Roof, Vito's, The Rum Runner, Pure Country, Chris's, Ben Wong's, Rivers edge, Sidetrax, Stones Throw, Happy Mart, Red Crown, Cousin Vinnie’s, Crowsnest Mountain resort, Cinnamon Bear and the Fly Shop ( not mentioned are all the Bed and Breakfasts that serve guests meals) cover about all the restaurants and quazi restaurants. Some are good, some not so much but all suffer from their popularity or lack of in one way or another. And to my knowledge with the exception of one, none of these places source locally. Even I do very little of it (although I do buy local produce when it is available, as well as eggs and some meat products) By Local I do not mean bought in the local grocery store( no restaurant can afford to pay retail all the time and make a profit) but I refer to locally grown or produced product.

It is one of the tenets of the Dine Alberta program, Your menu must have a high percentage of Local ( Alberta ) grown product. Now most of us food preparers use Alberta beef, we would be crazy not to. It’s the best in the world but what about the rest of the raw food stuffs? Where can we get them from? That is one of the mandates of Dine Alberta - putting Chefs, and Buyers in touch with Alberta producers. check out the web site

The next step in joining the Culinary Tourism band wagon would be to identify a food history that is appealing to guests. Is there a possibility here for that? Sure there is. The Crowsnest Pass has a wealth of ethnic diversity that could easily transpose itself into unique eatery menus that could attract guests. Popeil's uses the tool a little , by playing on the owners polish heritage and serving cabbage rolls (on the menu) borscht and perogies( as specials) with great success, Pure Country plays on the western theme but that’s about it. Perhaps it's something for the rest to consider when next they remake their menus.

What do we do ourselves to promote this type of cooking? Not enough! I mean I buy local when every I can. I include dishes of ethnic origins that are very well received. I use as much Alberta produced product as I can. We have participated in the Dine Alberta program and done some really nice meals under that banner but it's still not enough. I think that to tap into this growing tourism trend we would have to band together and do it as a group and then maybe, just maybe we could make a name for ourselves in the market.

For further reading on Culinary Tourism, and Dine Alberta check these out: Alberta Food Road Trip, CHOMP , Culinary Tourism.

Harvest of Memories

On Sept 26 I had the pleasure of catering the annual fund raising dinner for the Crowsnest Museum. The "black and white" event was sold out and it appeared that everyone had a good time. According to Wendy Zack, the curator, the museum made out well. The event included a buffet dinner (I love doing these ones where they give me a lot of freedom to create) that we tried out some new dishes for, coconut curry chicken, a dill and cucumber salad, tomato basil salad, and a cinnamon swirl loaf. They did a silent auction as well as a live auction and then had dancing afterwards. It seemed to be a night that all the locals came out, mixed and mingled. Generally just having a good time and supporting a worthy cause.




Speaking of that Cause, when was the last time you visited our local museum? They truly do an amazing job for a small town museum with little funding and mostly volunteer labour. Take a look at their website Crowsnest Museum. and drop by to visit - it's informative and rather well done

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To get things rolling

There are a good number of accommodation operators here in the Pass. One section of these operators have chosen to ban together and work cooperatively to promote there facilities and the Pass in general. Of course I'm referring to Crowsnest Pass Holiday Homes. The group is headed up by the tireless Sue Moser and our website can be found at http://www.crowsnestpassholidayhomes.com/ We have 16(I think) members that promote their own as well as the groups accommodations by way of websites, referrals and joint marketing. We don't just promote our properties though, we include events, local attractions, other related operators, and just about anything a traveler could need to get here and have an enjoyable stay. We are always looking for new ways and means to promote. Check it out.