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Crab Apple Jelly
I’ve been thinking about making Crab Apple Jelly for years – every August, my neighbours’ trees are heavy with pretty red crab apples – but I’ve never gotten around to asking if I can harvest some and try making jelly. This year, I happened to see some for sale at a produce store in the north end, grabbed roughly 2 lbs, and then started looking at recipes. I don’t know why, but even my go-to places for canning recipes all seem to go a bit weird when it’s a jelly recipe; I didn’t have a ton of confidence in any of them. And most called for 5-6 lbs of fruit.…
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Brownies
This excellent recipe for Brownies is quick, easy, and gives you the perfect brownies every time - great for beginners!
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Camp Shaw – Our 2026 Camp Packing List
Our family have been camping for years, mostly at Ontario Provincial Parks, and over the years we've refined our gear packing list to try to ensure we don't forget the essentials. I'm posting it as a resource - it's a great jumping-off point for your own camp packing list.
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Summer Coleslaw with Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
A simple, delicious Summer coleslaw that pairs well with BBQ. All measurements are approximate, so feel free to adjust, but if you doubling or tripling the recipe, don’t double the salt or garlic until you’ve tasted it first. It keeps well, and gets better if refrigerated overnight. Summer Coleslaw with Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing Makes 2 to 4 Servings Prep Time: 20 minutes chopping time, 20 minutes chilling time Ingredients – Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing Ingredients – Summer Coleslaw Instructions For more delicious recipes, visit my Family Recipes page!
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Spinach and Apple Salad with Crispy Almonds
I make this salad pretty regularly as a side salad for just about anything; it's super-easy to make, and the ingredients keep a long time (except for the spinach, of course), so it's easy to whip up if you want to add some greens to a meal. It's also delicious, and a little unexpected
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Ham and Gruyère Quiche (Crustless)
I came up with this Ham and Gruyère quiche as a way to use up the leftover baked ham from our Festive Dinner; it turns out that it's absolutely delicious, whether you eat it the day you make it or reheat it the next day.
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 7 – Newburn to Wallsend (Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. 10 hours walking time 9.3 km walked Accommodations Royal Station Hotel Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. Landing in Edinburgh Day 1 – Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle – 10 hours walking time, 28.7 km walked – this was a bit of an error on our part, I would recommend splitting this into two days.Day 2 – Carlisle to Banks – 10 hours walking time, 23.1 km walked Day 3 – Banks to Once Brewed – 9 hours walking time, 14.5 km walked Day 4 – Once Brewed…
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 6 – East Wallhouses to Newburn
6 hours walking time 18.1 km walked Accommodations The Keelman and Big Lamp Brewery Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. Landing in Edinburgh Day 1 – Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle – 10 hours walking time, 28.7 km walked – this was a bit of an error on our part, I would recommend splitting this into two days.Day 2 – Carlisle to Banks – 10 hours walking time, 23.1 km walked Day 3 – Banks to Once Brewed – 9 hours walking time, 14.5 km walked Day 4 – Once Brewed to Chollerford – 9 hours walking time, 12.3 km walkedDay 5 –…
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 5 – Chollerford to East Wallhouses
8.5 hours walking time 20.2 km walked Accomodations Robin Hood Inn Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. Landing in Edinburgh Day 1 – Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle – 10 hours walking time, 28.7 km walked – this was a bit of an error on our part, I would recommend splitting this into two days.Day 2 – Carlisle to Banks – 10 hours walking time, 23.1 km walked Day 3 – Banks to Once Brewed – 9 hours walking time, 14.5 km walked Day 4 – Once Brewed to Chollerford – 9 hours walking time, 12.3 km walkedDay 5 – Chollerford to East…
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 4 – Once Brewed to Chollerford
9 hours walking time 12.3 km walked Accommodations George Hotel Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. Landing in Edinburgh Day 1 – Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle – 10 hours walking time, 28.7 km walked – this was a bit of an error on our part, I would recommend splitting this into two days.Day 2 – Carlisle to Banks – 10 hours walking time, 23.1 km walked Day 3 – Banks to Once Brewed – 9 hours walking time, 14.5 km walked Day 4 – Once Brewed to Chollerford – 9 hours walking time, 12.3 km walked (You are here)Day 5 – Chollerford…
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 3 – Banks to Once Brewed
Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. 9 hours walking time 14.5 km walked Accommodations Vallum Lodge Lovely breakfast at The Greenhead Hotel Hiking to see the ruins of Thirlwall Castle ‘Bull in Field’ sign Big uphill along the wall remnants and big ditch Getting into more hilly, rocky terrain, where you really get the sense of being in the middle of nowhere, and understand how remote this must have felt to Roman soldiers, to be on the absolute edge of the Empire, which even now, when England’s population is so much larger, feels like a wilderness with no people. It’s very…
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 2 – Carlisle to Banks
Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. 10 hours walking time 23.1 km walked Accommodations: The Greenhead Hotel Taxi to our starting point, I think – we decided to skip the walk out of Carlisle?Eating porridge in paper cups Horses in the field Mom changing her bra? Shirt? in a field Walton Tea Room Sheep in the fields The Haytongate Snack Hut Black cows in the field First bit of Hadrian’s Wall still standing in place at Hare Hill More sheep and things A very well-stocked snack hut Very wet, muddy paths Parts of the wall now visible beside our path Small…
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Hadrian’s Wall Day 1 – Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle
Visit the main page for Hadrian’s Wall to read out advice on walking the wall. 10 hours walking time from Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle 28.7 km walked – this was a bit of an error on our part, I would recommend splitting this into two days.(walking time includes stops for breakfast/lunch, rest breaks, and some exploration of cool things we found along the way) Accommodations: Pinegrove Hotel, CarlisleWe booked this place for the nights of Oct 5 & 6, and took a taxi to our starting destination on Day 1, as Bowness-on-Solway is quite small and everything in that area was booked up. This is a draft outline; we’ll flesh it…
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Fresh Pasta – Pasta Fresca all’uovo
I’ve been wanting to learn to make fresh pasta for quite a few years; I did make an attempt at it a while back, when I was replicating historical recipes (something I’m still really interested in). I found rolling the dough out with a rolling pin didn’t really work for me – I either didn’t have the upper body strength or the patience to get the thinness I was looking for. I’ve waffled on buying a pasta machine, because they’re a bit pricey and I’m not a fan of having kitchen gadgets take up space unless they’re really getting used. But then a friend lent theirs to me, and I’m…
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Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe for cinnamon rolls was originally written to be made with a standing mixer and a dough hook, but I’ve altered it. since I don’t have one. The only real difference is that it may take a but of muscle to get the dough ingredients combined (and of course, I got impatient, as I do, and got my hands into it to mix it thoroughly). I know that standing mixers have been The Thing for Serious Home Cooks for a long time now, but they’re expensive, and while I’m sure I’d get some use out of one, I mostly view them as a dust-catching status symbol that takes up…
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Shrimp & Bacon Fettuccine
This Shrimp & Bacon recipe has been a staple dinner of mine for a few years now; I love it because it's really simple to make, really delicious, and it always feels a bit indulgent and celebratory.
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Chicken and Rice Soup
I love this Chicken and Rice Soup, which was suggested to me by a friend on Twitter after I was given a giant bag of rice last year. But the way the original recipe was formatted and written at Bon Appetit (with autoplay video links, ugh!) made me crazy. So I’ve re-written it with some small changes (I hate kale, so I sub in spinach). I find the soup base itself a nice substantial chicken soup, but the garlic oil makes it addictive, and I always double that part of the recipe, at least. The rice does sometimes break down into mush, but I don’t mind that – it just…
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Pecan Pie
I made this for a friend’s birthday, and he said it was “the best pecan pie he’s ever had,” which is exactly the kind of response you want when you bake something for someone. It’s both the first one I’ve ever baked and the first one I’ve ever eaten, but I know I’ll be making it again, because it’s always good to play the hits. Pecan Pie Ingredients Directions Based on Epicurious’ Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie recipe with alterations.
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2020: Fuck it, Forget it, and Forge ahead
My annual year-end post, somewhat subdued in comparison to other years.
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Short Rib-Stuffed Agnolotti del Plin
Tools Ingredients Pasta dough Roasted Braised Short Ribs Pasta Filling Pasta Sauce Method Day One Roasted Short Ribs Pasta Dough Day Two Roasted Short Ribs The Filling Pasta Filling the pasta Cooking the finished pasta Alexi Chatzilias tenant
