From the old Acadian Settlements, this is a wonderful treat to serve on a cool spring night that you plan to heat up.

New Brunswick Tourtiere (meat pie)

2 cooked potatoes (cut in small cubes or mashed) 1 lb ground pork   (for those not comfortable with red meat, ground turkey works quite well) 1 lb ground beef 1 onion (chopped finely) 1 garlic clove ½  tsp sage ½ tsp salt ½ tsp thyme 1/4  tsp dried mustard 1/4 tsp mace 1/8 tsp ground cloves 2 pie shells Brown onions, ground pork and beef and then drain off fat.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Place in pie shell and cover with another shell.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown. Serve with fresh fiddle heads (young ferns) or asparagus.  A glass of Pinot Noir from the Niagara region of Ontario would go very nicely and don’t forget the cheese and fresh fruit plate the two of you can linger over while you finish the bottle.

Prince Edward Island Romance <http://www.tourismpei.com/pei-downloads>

Janet and Robbie had gone riding that summer afternoon, galloping down the tree covered lanes of Prince Edward Island and through fields of wild flowers by the sea.  Then, they led their horses down to the beach to cool them off as they walked through the surf.  At the end of the beach, a bonfire burnt and a pot of Chowder waited for them. Robbie helped Janet down from her horse and kissed her softly. “You planned this?” “I thought dinner on the beach while we watched the sun set over the ocean would be just about perfect.” “You make it perfect,” Robbie murmured and kissed Janet again.

The perfect meal for romantic summer night by the beach or lake.

Chowder and Brew

½ tbsp butter 1 tbsp salt 3/4 cup finely diced onion 1/8 tbsp pepper 1 ½ lbs seafood cut in bite size pieces ( mix of haddock, cod, hake, halibut or variations of ) 3 cups diced PEI potatoes (best in the world) 3/4 cup diced carrots 2 cups milk 2 cups boiling water

In a large soup pot sauté the butter and onions until soft but not brown.  Then add the potatoes, carrots, water, salt and pepper.  Cook just below a boil for ten minutes and add the fish.  Cook for another ten minutes.  Cool and add milk.  Season and simmer.  Note: If adding scallops, they needed to be poached before adding to the pot.  Lobster shouldn’t be added until the very end.

Serve with a Molsons Canadian larger.  Finish with a sharp, old cheddar on a slice of apple pie and a coffee with a shot of Amaretto.

Fun in Quebec <http://www.quebecregion.com/e/carnaval.asp>

Robbie and Janet had taken their family to Quebec City for Caravel, that wonderful January celebration of Canadian winter.  They’d marvelled at the ice sculptures, cheered for the boat races across the St Lawrence, enjoyed skiing at the nearby resorts and walked through the walled city that dated to the 1500s.  Now they stood and watched the most fantastic winter parade of lights, floats and sound.  When it was over, Robbie bought them a true Canadian treat to warm them up as they walked back to their Hotel.