Herb n Sage With Anne

Anne and I were great friends in high school, years ago. I won't specify how many years ago, but let's just say big hair and leg warmers were a thing. Anne and I were so close that we called each other sister-in-laws, as we were dating brothers at the time. She married hers. I did not. Sadly, we lost touch for some 30 years. So you can imagine my joy at reconnecting with my long lost friend, a couple of years ago, through social media! Our first get together was at William's Coffee Pub and we caught up for three hours! We were surprised they didn't kick us out!

Recently, we decided it was time for another lunch and gab fest, so we went looking for a new venue for our chatting and chewing. Herb n Sage had been on my mind recently, having been recommended by an acquaintance, so we made plans to meet there at 2:00 after my shift was done. That late lunch turned out to be an ideal time. When I arrived first, there was only one occupied table inside the restaurant and they soon departed. Mid afternoon, between lunch rush and dinner, is perfect for gabby girls who tend towards marathon lunches!

Anne arrived perhaps 10 minutes after I did and we had our pick of cozy booths, so we picked one near the back and settled in. A very friendly young server brought us menus and explained the specials. Barrielicious was going on and they offered a back bacon on a bun special with app, drink and dessert for $15. I'm mostly vegetarian (other than fish, eggs and dairy) and Anne doesn't each much meat either, so we passed on that offer. We both ordered caesar salad to start, fish and chips and a tall iced tea.

The caesar salad was one of the best I've tasted in a while. It actually had flavour! So many restaurants drizzle on the dressing, while healthier that may be, it doesn't impress me much. I like a caesar that has a bite. That homemade dressing was awesome!

Enter the fish and chips. Nice big, crispy pieces on good fries. The two things that stood out were the house cole slaw and the tartar sauce. The tartar sauce? No, you wouldn't expect a tartar sauce to be a stand-out item on it's own, but it wasn't your from-the-jar diner condiment, but lovingly home made and loaded with flavourful dill. A very nice touch.

The server returned and offered us dessert, as they always do. And I always politely decline. But Anne was looking interested and once the server said those two magic words that combine so well - cheese cake - I was hooked. There's always room for cheesecake ... and every flavour is a good flavour! I was expecting a slice of something dreamy, but Anne and I got our own little personal pan cheesecakes in a round dish, fluffy whipped cream piped around the edges. Anne got cherry. I got mixed summer berry. I don't know what I was anticipating, but it was not the collection of fresh fruit I received. Not canned, not frozen, but straight from the field good. Heaven in a bowl!

How did we eat so much??? I suppose when you drag a meal out for two or three hours in an otherwise empty eatery, it's possible. We felt a little guilty but the meal was absolutely delicious and the company so good, who could blame us? I asked our server if all of this is house made food. Yes, all but the desserts, she replied. Obviously, they have chosen a fabulous dessert supplier then. I wonder who it is?

As two technologically challenged diners struggled to take a selfie or two (don't laugh), our ever helpful server came by and we asked her if she would help us out - end our suffering, really! She snapped a couple of great pics for us. Thank you, young server. I didn't get your name, but you were wonderful. Herb n Sage is wonderful too.

Lazy Tulip Lunch

This food blog was started over a year ago, partly just for fun and partly because I discovered that Barrie was without a food blogger or restaurant reviewer of any kind. It has been a service and a hobby, but never a business. Shawna Bailey, a local virtual assistant, messaged me recently with her ideas about gaining revenue through blogging. She was also interested in my someday dream of perhaps organizing a ghost walk and dinner event in downtown Barrie. Shawna suggested we meet for lunch to talk and the Lazy Tulip, a fave of hers, was chosen.

I have been hoping to try the Lazy Tulip for quite a while. At its 29 Maple St. location, just south of Dunlop St., it is almost next door to my workplace. I quickly tidied myself up from my own cooking shift, changed clothes and skipped over to the Lazy Tulip while hoping I would recognize my lunch date. We only had social media profile pics to go by! No need to worry, I spotted Shawna right away.

We were seated at a small table at the far right wall, near the fireplace. It was the perfect spot for taking in the surroundings and people watching. Oh hello - there's Randy Aywin, owner of the Grilled Cheese Social Eatery! If other local restaurant owners like the LT, it must be good. I love the chalkboard message below the front counter. "A tulip doesn't strive to impress, it doesn't struggle to be different from a rose. It doesn't have to. It is different. There is room in the garden for all flowers." I liked the decor - a mix and match of old and modern, a palette of black, white and splashy tulip red. The white painted stone/brick north wall is especially cool and looks to be the exterior wall of an adjacent building.

Shawna and I chatted a lot right off the bat, and sipped ice cold minted water. Some days, the water jug includes sliced lemon or watermelon instead of fresh herbs, she tells me. I forgot to look at the menu, with all my gabbing, but Shawna already knew what she wanted. She is stuck in a happy rut and looks forward to her meetings at the Tulip so that she can order the free range chicken and brie panini with caramelized onions and cranberry-red pepper jelly. When I finally got my act together, I ordered the Thai tofu wrap with a rustic tomato soup to start.

The soup was very nice. The fresh homemadeness was apparent - flavourful and full of bits of real tomato. The wrap was a work of art on a plate. Beautifully presented and boldly colourful with carrot, tomato, sprouts and organic mixed greens. The tofu is organic too and marinated in soy sauce. (I must try this.) I would also love to know the exact ingredients to that wicked thai peanut sauce that totally made that delightful wrap! The other great thing about the Thai wrap? The crunch! That crunch says fresh to me.

Neat little place with a conciousness about healthy people and a healthy planet. Eat vegetarian, gluten free, organic, free range, fair trade and local at the Lazy Tulip in what their website aptly describes as "a quaint and funky setting". No taste has been sacrificed in the name of healthy living. You will be surprised at how good the good tastes. Thanks for showing me, Shawna!

Got Any Dip For That?

Last week, I took a trip to Midland for the Ontario's Best Butter Tart Festival with my volunteer taste testers in tow. I was born with the unfortunate lack of any kind of sweet tooth, but lucky for me, I have some very supportive family members willing to take one for the team. My husband and son stood in long lines to get their sample tarts, then had to endure a barrage of questions from me - is it runny? How's the pastry? Do you detect any particular spices? Then there were photos to be taken before even one bite was to be had. Brave, brave men are these unsung heroes of food tasting!

When they were nearly sugared out, the boys stopped at one last booth for a final tart. I had stopped in front of it, attracted by the bright yellow display, signature colour of Mad Michael's Restaurant & Bakery, located in nearby Wyebridge, Ontario. I was explaining to my team how I had once had the pleasure of visiting Mad Michael's on a media tour, when a woman in the crowd asked if I had eaten there. I told her that I had only sampled their home made lemonade that day, but I hope to have a meal there one day. As the woman behind the sunglasses offered her recommendations of Mad Michael's, I began to think that the voice sounded somewhat familiar and that the stranger in the sea of 25,000 festival goers might be someone that I had met previously somewhere.

Taking a risk, I stopped her mid sentence with "Do you sell Epicure Spices?"  She tilted her head and smiled. "Yes, I do." Then it finally hit me that I had met her on at least two occasions before at my friend Candy's home in Phelpston. She told me that she was holding another spice party there that coming Monday, and I replied. "I know. I'm going!"

When Monday arrived, I headed to Phelpston, the quietest of rural villages about 15 minutes north of Barrie, and went to Candy's house where Epicure spice representative and fellow tart festival attendee, Julie Laurin, had set up some delicious displays. I love home parties, but only the ones that sell food related items, because ... well ... samples to eat! Unless, winter storms, illness or work get in the way, I never turn down an invitation to one of these fun get togethers.

I must call it by it's proper name, Epicure Selections. The spices and dip mixes are always the first things that come to mind when I think of Epicure, but the company is so much more I have come to find out. Founder, Sylvie Rochette, was a young mother living in British Columbia, when she started growing her own herbs and flavourings to better feed her children in this world of artificial food ingredients. Her hobby grew into a booth at a farmers' market, which turned into a bigger venture first called Victorian Epicure Inc. Once the company began to do tasting parties and take on independent consultants, it spread across Canada quickly. Women were quick to appreciate Sylvie's twin goals "As a working mother, I longed to spend more time with my young family and provide them with delicious, nutritious meals that were quick and easy to prepare and not loaded with unhealthy ingredients."

Julie is a great sales rep. She never talks for very long, just gives a bit about the company's roots and an overview of what's new in the catalogue, any specials or changes to the products, because she knows girls just wanna eat! The dining room table is a colourful and inviting display, with a dazzling assortment of products on view - loose leaf teas, salad dressing mixes, dip mixes, dry rubs, mustards, sauces, and gadgets. The outer circle is ringed with small cups of many of the dry mixes combined with mayonnaise and sour cream, labelled and ready for the tasting. Big bowls of pretzels, cucumbers and carrots are nearby, ready for the dipping. A sweet version of the cheese ball has been mixed up and is surrounded by thin slices of green apple.

The kitchen is a busy spot too. Candy's own Epicure collection lines a wall near the stove, where it remains full time, she tells me. There is a tray with chicken breast pieces, all seasoned differently, ready for nibbling, as well as one of bruschetta and another with 3 oil based bread dippers.

So many yummy dips! Who doesn't love a good dip? I have a theory just about anything tastes good with dip. I tried so many of them and I couldn't decide which one I liked best. So I tried them all again ... and again! Epicure has nearly 30 fabulous spice blends, out of which I have tried 3 Onion, Chipotle Bacon Cheddar, French Onion, Lemon Dilly, Summer Berry Fruit and French Onion to name a few.

Julie offered to put the kettle on if anyone wanted to try one of the several teas on the table, but the evening was warm and most everyone opted for the cool citrusy punch that Candy had made. But the fragrance of the loose leaf teas was incredible. To twist the lid off a jar and take a sniff, was to float to heaven. Coco Vanilla White Tea, Creme de la Creme Earl Grey and Decaf Yoga Chai - intoxicating!

A dozen women grazed and chatted, and Julie answered questions about things like gluten free items (all Epicure products are gf now) and sugar and sodium issues, while the products pretty much sold themselves. In time, a line up ladies clutching catalogues and credit cards formed at Julie's make shift office at the end of Candy's kitchen counter. What did I buy? Actually, mindful of my budget, I intended not to buy anything but just snack and socialize. In the end, I decided on a couple of items for one of my budding chefs at home. My middle son is another champion volunteer eater, mostly when it comes to meat entrees, and a hobby cook with an expanding repertoire of dishes he can cook. So I ordered a silicone waffle mold for the oven and a jar of Epicure Burger Spice containing onion, garlic, red bell pepper, sea salt, black pepper, herbs and spices and nothing unpronounceable.

I am looking forward to receiving my order. When Candy delivers it, we can perhaps have a coffee and a visit. I am looking forward to trying out the new gadget and spice mix and seeing the young cook find some new excitement in the kitchen. I am definitely looking forward to the next Epicure party!

*Bottom 2 photos courtesy of http://www.epicureselections.com/en/

Poutine Invasion

It’s spreading! Arm yourselves with forks and as many paper napkins as you can gather! No, it’s not anything as sinister as an invasion of killer bees, but get ready because poutine has crossed the border from Canada into the U.S. and it will certainly be making its way to your town. The question is not if, but when.

If you live in a northern border state, or an area where Canadian retirees like to winter, you may see this strange dish appear on local menus. But believe it – poutine is poised to be everywhere sooner or later. Pronounce it poo-teen or get fancy with a bit of a French Canadian twist and ask for poot-seen because this messy snack originally comes from dairy country in the province of Quebec.

I remember the first time I learned of poutine’s existence. Back in 1986, I was visiting a boyfriend in his home town, a francophone community in northern Ontario, and I spied poutine on a cafe menu. “What on earth is that?” I asked. He was amazed that I hadn’t heard of it before. It was very common in areas with a large French speaking community, but completely unknown where I was living in southern Ontario, a five hour drive from where my boyfriend lived.  He explained that it was basically french fries, cheese and gravy. My first reaction was yuck! I didn’t try any that day.

There’s more to poutine than that cursory description. There must be, otherwise why all the excitement? Start with good fries. Nice big, chunky potatoes deep fried to deep brown on the outside, while remaining soft on the inside. The minute they hit the plate, drop a generous handful of fresh cheese curds on top and drown it all in a not-too-thick, peppery, brown gravy and serve immediately. It sounds like a bit of a swamp, I know, and you will need those napkins I mentioned.

Hold the phone – what are cheese curds? It wasn’t until I was discussing poutine with a cousin in Germany last week that I discovered that the eating of cheese curds as a snack is also very regional. Outside of Quebec, Ontario and a few other adjacent areas, curds are simply part of the cheese making process and nothing more. The best curds for poutine purposes are the freshly made cheese solids from white cheddar. Ideally, they should squeak when you bite into them.

Well, I married my boyfriend and he moved to my city just outside of Toronto. It was probably a good 15 years later on before poutine was seen for sale anywhere in this part of the province. Burger King was actually one of the first chains to see the attraction and place it on their regular menu, where it remains today.  It is interesting to witness the slow southward migration of a regional dish and the mainstreaming of it, much like what happened with the hamburger and the pizza. Poutine first appeared in Quebec in the 1950s, was found in northern Ontario by the 1980s, arrived in southern Ontario around 2000 and has broken into more than a few American states now. It would appear there is no stopping poutine.

Poutine is not a health food. Poutine has been described as a “heart attack on a plate” by some, and is not meant for daily consumption I would say. There is great debate over the true meaning of the word, but legend has it that when asked to top some fried potatoes with curds and gravy, Fernand Lachance, purported inventor of said dish, complained that it would “faire une maudite poutine” – make a damn mess! Messy, salty, not dairy free, loaded with grease, so why eat it? That question can only be answered after you try it.

I took a bit of a poutine tour in my city this week. I clogged my arteries in the name of foodie science. Next week, I should probably go on a garden salad tour to achieve some balance, but for research purposes I visited three local eateries known for serving a fairly decent poutine and dug in. I took my family along with me. Funny – at the first stop I had three teenagers with me, only one at the second place and I dined alone for the last one.

We began at a newly opened chain restaurant called Smoke’s Poutinerie. If someone can open a restaurant devoted solely to poutine, you know poutine has hit the big time. Can you really serve just poutine? Sure you can, if you offer a bazillion different extra toppings for it. I got the traditional poutine with vegetarian gravy. One of my sons opted for a topping of double smoked bacon, while my older son went for chicken fajita, which comes with grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, sour cream and salsa. Calorie count unknown – didn’t dare ask!

A few days later, the younger son and I were looking for lunch again and we popped into another chain restaurant, this one a burger place with an industrial vibe, called The Works. The young fellow had a hamburger with onion rings, while I ordered just poutine, as I wasn’t very hungry. Well, joke’s on me because their poutine is simply huge! It comes in a metal bucket, for pete’s sake.  It was quite tasty, no doubt about that, much the same flavour wise as what we ate at Smoke’s. I took half of it home for later!

With all my dining partners and once eager assistants all poutined out, I headed downtown one more time, this time alone. I stopped at a brightly painted green and yellow box of a place, a chip wagon called Jerry’s Fries. Jerry’s has been there probably 20 years now, dishing out fish and chips at first and adding the poutine later. They must have mastered it because as I was waiting for my food, I encountered a French Canadian gentleman and his two little girls, who had just ordered and extra large poutine. He told me that this was his go-to poutinerie. He knew that the potatoes used by Jerry were locally grown and that the cheese curds came from Quebec. Even the teenage boy doing all the chopping and frying inside the booth was enthusiastic and informative.

I carried my overflowing cardboard box of yummy stuff a few blocks down to the waterfront and found a vacant picnic table for myself next to the sparkling lake water. The francophone man had assured me that I would like this poutine the best and, after a few bites, I began to believe he was right. I can’t quite put into words why this was the best tasting poutine I had sampled, but perhaps it was a combination of the fresh, authentic ingredients along with the small business type of care that went into the food. By strange coincidence, a few minutes after I began eating, a man on a bicycle came along and sat down on the rocks by the water and began to play a concertina. Thank you, mystery man, for the Québécois atmosphere music. 

*First published at http://www.sogoodblog.com/2014/05/20/poutine-a-canadian-favorite/ on May 20, 2014 as a guest blog.

The Curious Nibbler Goes To The Food Show

Who doesn't love a food show? For me, it brings back great memories of sampling my way through the food building at the Canadian National Exhibition when I was a kid. I'm fairly certain I first tasted oka cheese there. Perhaps I've always been a foodie. The Savour The Flavours Show held this past weekend at Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club was the perfect event for a curious nibbler like me.

Tangle Creek is a lovely setting. I had been there once before for an outdoor wedding a few years ago. It was nice in itself to take a short drive just beyond Barrie's westernmost border into the countryside on a sunny spring day. The show was held inside the clubhouse, which isn't massive, but has a cottagey but modern feel to it, and is situated on a hill with a fantastic bird's eye view of golfers and farmers for miles around.

Techno music pumped from the Smokinstein food truck setting up just outside the front doors. I didn't see any obvious signage proclaiming that a food show was inside, but the food truck and the multitude of vendor vehicles in the parking lot was a dead give-away. Inside, I was greeted by a very friendly young woman at the pass desk. I felt like a genuine V.I.P. when she looked my name up on 'the list' and handed me my swag bag. I could really get used to this!

Mary Macleod's Shortbread booth was my first stop. It's not that I have a big sweet tooth, (I really don't), but anything Scottish related stops me in my tracks every time. Scotland is my birthplace and also the location of a very old inn where I did part of my cook apprenticeship many years ago. So I stopped at Mary's and a well spoken grand daughter, possibly a great grand daughter, gave me a sample of their chocolate shortbread, and explained how their business got started. The verdict: melts in your mouth!

I took a look at various vendors, but some more than others grabbed my attention, so I would stop for a chat. I tarried at SeriTeas because I'm a tea drinker ... or so I thought. Apparently, I don't know as much as I thought I did about brewing teas. No wonder I don't like green tea, (too bitter in my past experience), as it seems the boiled water must cool a few degrees before steeping the leaves. Oh.

Cottage Country Vegan; ah what can I say about Carolyn Allgeier? What a lovely soul, full of knowledge and warmth, passion and dedication. At least that's what I took away from our short interaction at her booth. Being a quasi vegetarian myself, or a vegan with training wheels as she so smartly put it, I was a sponge for those few minutes soaking up the information she offered. Some day, I must sign up for one of her all day culinary classes held in the kitchen of her house on Georgian Bay.

Hello, kilted gentleman! I'm so glad that no one walked into my back as I stopped dead in my tracks at the booth belonging to the aptly named Highlander Brew Co. Very soon, I knew that the kiltie was a Wilson of Glasgow descent, the tartan he was wearing was the Canada tartan, and that Highlander Brew Co. produces several varieties out of their South River, Ontario brewery. I'm going to check the LCBO this summer for these inspired names: Blacksmith Smoked Porter, Scottish Ale and Twisted Spruce. No, I did not buy a sample ticket. Some of us Scots are as notoriously frugal as they say!

Harvest Share Food box caught my eye too. Based out of the Holland Marsh, where I grew up, the Verkaik family has been farming in the south end of the marsh for 80 years. They have branched out from simple market gardening to selling seasonal produce in boxes that customers sign up for in advance. The contents vary as the growing years evolves. We had a great gab about everything from heirloom carrots to mutual Holland Marsh friends and family.

During my childhood playing in those swampy woods, I had only noticed in passing the dark growths of fungus on birch trees and never thought of it again. At Annanda Chaga's informative booth, I received a mini education on the healing properties, long known to aboriginal people, of the chaga mushroom. The black chaga, relative to shiitaki mushrooms, forms over injuries to the tree and forms a 'bandage'. It saves the tree, yet lives from the tree. I sampled a mild tea that is known to detox, de-stress, fight disease and add vitamins.

Suprsingly, especially to me, my most memorable and moving conversation of the day was perhaps with Steve Benson of The Restaurant Store of Barrie. Food service supplies don't exactly jump out and grab me. I work with them every day. But Steve was very warm and friendly, a born salesman of course. He told me about their free knife sharpening service, among other things, and told me that they happily accept donations for the Seasons Centre for Grieving Children at any time too. Steve explained that this charity is near to his heart ever since a fellow motorcycle enthusiastic who was suffering from pancreatic cancer once said to him "Yes, my children already go there." In the end, I left with a supply catalogue and goosebumps on my arms.

When I left the food show, I found that I had eaten a lot less than I had imagined. It wasn't for the lack of yummy samples - there were plenty! Somehow I exited feeling filled up anyway. The tasty tidbits are a great draw of course, but I found that the interesting people were the biggest treat of all.

Kenzington Thursdays

My middle son, Patrick, is an almost 20 year old, 6 foot 2 inch sports nut with a big appetite and a particular penchant for a well made hamburger. He spends Monday to Thursday at Humber College in Toronto studying Sports Marketing (naturally!) and arrives back in Barrie for the weekend on the first GO train. Patrick brings with him his laptop, four days worth of laundry and an immediate need to eat something! The big fella always says he is good with any eatery that I choose, with the exception of Indian or vegetarian fare, which is partly a joke because he knows those are two of my favourite cuisines. Brat.

I had been hearing good things about the Kenzington Burger Bar for some time. The name always came up in discussions about what might be Barrie's best burger. A few months ago, a couple of my high school friends and I were looking for a casual place to grab a bite down town before we saw The Spoons and Saga at the nearby Sound Empire. We settled on Kenzington at 40 Dunlop St. E.. It certainly impressed us girls, but would it score high in the standings with Patrick, the ultimate burger fan?

Patrick takes his hamburgers very seriously. He is a master of the 'cue at home, and is currently longing for our patio to reappear from under the winter snow so that he can produce some fine grilled meats once again. He has been a world burger seeker on his travels so far, with good finds in the U.S., passable in France and non existent in Scotland! When he arrived at the Allandale Waterfront station a few weeks ago, I asked him if he wanted to try what might very well be Barrie's best burger. As you can imagine, he was all for it.

Our first visit, burger aficionado and food blogger, was on a snowy night. We sat at one of the tall tables in the front window and watched the winter weary citizens of Barrie pass by. The menu is not complicated, but does have a formula that might require a bit of explaining on the first visit. We both chose the brioche bun, which is not yet printed on the menu, as our bread. The brioche is light, airy and as I call it 'squishable', a necessity when the burger is bigger than my mouth. There are 5 choices of meat. You can bet the farm that Patrick will order prime rib beef and I am a fan of the black bean veggie patty. You have 7 options for a side dish, and so far we have yet to stray from the delightful home sliced yukon fries. All burgers come with lettuce, tomato and onion, but the fun part is selecting your burger style. By that, I mean you choose from a list of funky names such as the porky, the black & blue or the dunlop, with each moniker describing a set list of eclectic ingredients.

On my first visit, with the girls, I chose the dunlop which includes roasted red pepper, spinach and goat cheese. I found the goat cheese to be overpowering. But if you love goat cheese, you will be beyond thrilled. My next time out, and actually ever since, I moved on to the burger style called prime, which I find absolutely magnificent. Prime is a gorgeous layering of grainy mustard, brie cheese, chipotle mayo and crunchy little fried onion strings. I cannot seem to pry myself out of my prime rut. I'm not saying this is a bad thing.

My burger loving son has been more adventurous. If memory serves me correctly, I believe he has worked his way through the cowboy, rodeo, porky and most recently the kenzie in our 4 or 5 visits to Kenzington. The kenzie includes a fried egg, something new for Patrick, but he liked it so I expect to be buying more eggs when barbecue season returns to our back yard.

                                         

On our first visit together, Patrick and I were puzzled and delighted by the small ramekin of zesty sauce that came with our yukon fries. It was delicious, creamy, reminiscent of all dressed potato chips but completely unidentifiable to either of us. When our server returned, we inquired. "What is this wonderful sauce? We just can't figure it out." We did feel a little silly when he told us that it was a house made specialty - ketchup and mayo. Oh. If you've ever seen the comedy film, 'Stepbrothers', you'll know that this same condiment is fought over by 2 idiots who refer to it as 'fancy sauce'.

The service is great at Kenzington's too. We are always treated like friends, shown to the nicest available table and served with both professionalism and humour. Somehow the Kenzington Burger Bar has managed to create a unique vibe, a comfortable place that is both bar and restaurant, both casual and upscale. I'm fairly sure that you could easily bring any friend, guest or family member of any age to Kenzington and have a very nice time. The place was hopping the Friday night my girls and I popped in, and we did wait maybe 10 minutes for a table, but Thursdays are more laid back, always a place to sit to warm up and fill up.

As for filling up, you know I have never yet managed to finish my dinner at Kenzingtons! No matter what or when I eat earlier in the day, I just cannot do it. I mentioned that fact to my server last week. He pointed to Patrick, who was happily downing my left overs, and said "Well, that's why you bring that guy, isn't it?"

Confessions Of A Granola Convert

Granola never appeared once on any shopping list I ever made. Not ever. Why would it? Nobody in  my household, including me, was interested in clumps of dusty, overly sweet bits of uninteresting mystery nuts and fruits glued together with some sort of sugar syrup. I had the vague idea that it was supposed to be good for you, but it certainly didn't look all that good. I certainly had better things to spend my money on than something fairly unappealing that was destined to sit in the back of the pantry untouched for months. The closest I ever came to being a granola fan was back in the 1980s when I was living in the UK and I had a brief love affair with the packaged breakfast muesli called Alpen. Even that product lost its appeal to me, either over time or by adjustment to ingredients for North American tastes.

I was excited to be asked by Fran Kruse, co-owner of Not Yer Granny's Granola, to come and observe her while she and her husband/business partner, Mark, made a batch of their product, but I admittedly was not over the top excited about the product. I still had my long held notions about granola. I can tell you, in all honesty, I was completely transformed and converted by the first delicious mouthful I took. No word of a lie - I went from yawn to wow in under five seconds!

We trudged in the side door of the kitchen facility, my photographer son and I, leaving the worst of a Barrie winter outside, and were greeted by the sweet aroma of orange in the air. Fran and Mark were in the midst of making a batch of what I think is their best granola flavour offerings, Hello Orange. The near finished product was being toasted in the oven on parchment lined baking pans. After giving one pan a bit of a stir for even cooking, Fran passed Mitchell and I some little sample packages to try

The first one was called Maple Me Happy. As Fran said, how can you eat something with a name like that and still be grumpy? I was hesitant. Long years ago, as a somewhat greedy child, I once overindulged in a tall stack of pancakes and never could face them nor the taste of maple syrup again, but in the name of foodie science, I ventured forth. Surprise, no in your face maple taste! How can this be, I wondered. Fran explained that it is the fake so called pancake syrup that is so sickly sweet and overly mapley (if that is even a word). How can I describe that first taste I took? Pleasantly surprising, that much is for sure. Nice toasty, loose seeds and oats, mixed with big pieces of real walnut and the most flavourful cranberries and cherries that literally burst out with flavour. My teen son tried his sample too, first out of politeness I think, but then kept going and eventually gobbled up all our combined sample packs on the car ride home!

Why is Fran and Mark's granola so good? Firstly, they don't aim to be a granola maker, they aim to be the granola maker. They aim to make a stand out product and have their granola be the very best. They have been researching and testing for a good year now and launched Not Yer Granny's Granola in August. The discerning buyers at the Mariposa Market and Nicholyn Farms, to name just a few, have welcomed their product onto their shelves. And why wouldn't they? The Kruses start with carefully sourced, fresh, natural ingredients, mix and toast it all by hand, and add no preservatives. It is as genuinely home made a product as you could buy.

If you haven't figured it out already, Not Yer Granny's Granola isn't just delicious, it's definitely good for you! Of course you can have it for breakfast, and of course it makes a great substitute for trail mix, but as a topping for yoghurt and fresh fruits, (add a scoop of peanut butter as Fran likes to), you have a much better mid afternoon work snack than a doughnut or chocolate bar. For just such an occasion, the Kruses have also created a new snack item, Javanola, containing a nice mix of cocoa, dark chocolate and espresso to pick you right up. Local nutritionist, Katherine Parent, of Make Good Choices Holistic Nutrition Counselling, makes Not Yer Granny's Granola available in her office.

So why is Not Yer Granny's Granola not your granny's granola? Fran is trying to shake our preconceived notions that all granola is dry, tasteless hippy dippy food. She goes a step farther by referring to her product as granolahhh on her packing. You start off thinking blah and quickly move to ahhh. I certainly did.

Want to sample the goodies like a foodie? Next weekend, January 11th and 12th, head over to the 5th Annual Women's Show being held at Bradford Greenhouses at 4346 County Rd. 90, just west of Barrie. Fran will be handing out lots of free samples. If you are not an instant convert like me, I want to hear about it. I would be quite shocked.

Fran gave me a full sized bag of her Pumpkin Pizzazz granola as we were leaving. Unlike other bags of granola that never made it into my cupboards because I never bought them, this bag never made it because the family went a little crazy over the stuff when I brought it home. Most were on-the-spot converts too, with the "I won't like this." attitude very quickly falling by the wayside. In truth, we probably still don't care for most granolas, but we certainly enjoy this one! My ever dramatic teenage daughter, one arm stuck into the bag, was heard saying "This stuff is so good, I could cry!" 

Check out Not Yer Granny's Granola on the web http://www.notyergrannysgranola.com/ Fran would really love it if you 'Liked' her page on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/NotYerGrannysGranola