IPM Cookbook 2014 - Simcoe County Edition

My sister-in-law Jeanette has spent the past year working on the International Plowing Match (IPM) 2014 cookbook. She and the rest of the IPM cookbook committee collected and compiled over 700 recipes from Simcoe County residents and created a beautiful cookbook that, as the tag line states, is 'from the heart of Simcoe County kitchens'.

The IPM Cookbook is the official fundraising cookbook for the plowing match happening in Ivy, Ontario in September 2014. The cookbooks are sold for a year before the match to raise funds to support the event. Books are sold for $12 and can be purchased through local retailers and vendors at upcoming fairs and events (see below). I'm very proud of my sister-in-law for her efforts to create this cookbook. Great job Jeanette!

Perth County is hosting this year's plowing match, which marks the 100th anniversary of the event and begins this Tuesday (running Sept 17-21). For more information check here or watch this trailer for the event:



For further information on the 2014 match happening in Simcoe County check here.

The following is a list of vendors throughout Simcoe County who are selling the 2014 IPM Cookbook. New vendors will be added, so please check their Facebook page for updates.

New vendors as of September, 2013:

Carpe Diem - 1012 Yonge St, Barrie
Barrie Hill Farms - 2935 Barrie Hill Rd, Barrie www.barriehillfarms.com
Barrie Home Hardware
Penetanguishene Home Hardware - 2 Poyntz St #61, Penetanguishene
Midland Home Hardware - 159 4th St, Midland
Wasaga Beach Home Hardware  - 1955 Mosley St, Wasaga Beach
Elmvale Home Building Centre - 121 County Rd. 27, Elmvale
H.F. Smith Home Hardware Building Centre - 61 Queen Street, Highway 89, Cookstown

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes #FoodPicFriday

My obsession with pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree led me to this list of 50 ways to use up leftover pumpkin puree. From there I got the idea to mix some puree and spice with pancake mix and water and these pumpkin spice pancakes came into existence. I have to say the maple syrup mixed perfectly with the flavour of these pancakes, so much so that I think I will long for the combination the next time I have regular ones. Really tasted fantastic. And I think the best part about using pumpkin spice is the way the house smells after cooking with it. These pancakes made the kitchen smell good.

Coldwater Steampunk Festival - Costumes

In August we attended the third annual Coldwater Steampunk Festival. We had never been before (or even heard about it) but I have an appreciation of the Steampunk look, and the fact that it was being held in Coldwater, Ontario really caught our attention. Coldwater? Really? Coldwater is a small town near us that has a population of about 1700, and we weren't sure how many people there would even know what Steampunk was. Our main motivation to attend was curiosity, and we ended up having a fantastic time. The atmosphere of the small town, with some historical looking buildings and old timey trucks lining the main street, really added to the Steampunkiness of the event.  It was really well done.

Like any street festival there were vendors of art, crafts, and food. There were buskers of music and other talents, even an acorbatic pole dancer put on a show. There were way more people dressed up then I expected, and a costume contest was held to recognize the amazing work participants did putting them together. Someone was even carrying an elaborate bubble gun that was very Steampunky.

The following is a round up of some of the costumes at the festival. I took a lot of photos that day so I will post more over the next few weeks.

Children's Costume Contest

Women's Costume Contest

Men's Costume Contest

Judges for the costume contest

She told us she made her dress. What an amazing job! Looks awesome!

Love this group! The bubble gun was awesome.

 

Everything is a Photo Opportunity #17

This is my nephew Earl's other farm. This one was crafted by my talented sister-in-law for his birthday a few years ago. Nothing beats a good theme cake, and I especially love all the details she added (the toy tractors and animals are so cute).    

Pumpkin Spice Everything

That's right, this is another post about pumpkin spice. I am completely obsessed with it, and am actually drinking a homemade pumpkin spice latte as I write this. I have been adding it to everything lately and I don't think I will get sick of it. I love, love, love it! :)

My new obsession comes from my previous ignorance. I understood that pumpkin spice must have existed but I didn't really understand that I could buy it or make it and then eat it every day. Now I have a daily habit of Googling what else I can make with it, and I think this will be the year I make my first pumpkin pie. Pretty excited about that. 

Last week I happily learned that pumpkin pie spice is a beautiful combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. You can throw the spices together yourself or buy pre-mixed. I got 'Pumpkin Spice' from the Bulk Barn and it is fabulous.

Since we added it to our spice rack last Thursday, we've been going crazy with it. I made awesome cupcakes. We've been adding 1/2 tsp to coffee grounds in our perk coffee maker to make a really easy pumpkin spice coffee. We also add 1/4 tsp to a mug of Orange Pekoe, for a flavourful tea. My Twitter buddy Kathy let me know she uses it on oatmeal, and I had to try that too. I added some dried cranberries as well and have had a very festive breakfast the past two days.

Steel cut oats with pumpkin spice and dried cranberries

We've also been making easy lattes. The same way you probably shouldn't call chicken bacon bacon, I proabably shouldn't call my drink a latte, but it has the same idea. I don't use espresso or steamed milk, but it tastes awesome anyway.

For my latte I add 2 tbs pumpkin puree, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp instant decaf coffee (I only have coffee in the morning...except when I have it at night - so we keep instant decaf on hand). 

Next I add 1/3 mug of milk and stir.

Then fill it up with boiling water to activate the instant coffee. (Normally I think instant coffee is gross but in a fun drink like this, I like it just fine.)

We forgot to pick up whipped cream, but it is actually quite lovely without it.

What is your favourite thing to do with pumpkin pie spice? Do you make your own or buy a pre-mixed version?