Photo by Casey Lessard

Welcome Wagon is once again rolling out the red carpet for area brides, showcasing wedding vendors at their annual Bridal Showcase at the South Huron Recreation Centre this Tuesday, February 23.
Brides and grooms attending the show will be treated to displays and fashion shows, and have the chance to win prizes that include a diamond pendant from Bakelaar Jewelers in Exeter, and a honeymoon sun vacation courtesy Today’s Bride magazine. The first 100 brides will receive a gift bag.
Participating vendors include photographers, cake makers, gown stores, and many more. Doors open at 6 p.m., and admission is free. To register, visit: http://www.welcomewagon.ca or call 1-866-873-9941.

Submitted by Tim Cumming, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority

Tickets to the Conservation Dinner usually sell out quickly but now there is extra reason to purchase tickets early, according to the volunteer dinner committee.
Patrons who purchase their gala dinner tickets before February 22 will be eligible for an ‘early-bird’ prize draw where they may win a limited edition print by artist Gary Corcoran. The print is of a beautiful nature painting entitled Winter Sylvan – Downy Woodpecker.
The 21st Conservation Dinner is a local success story with donors, patrons and volunteers working together to support environmental health through accessible trails, commemorative woods, fish stocking for youth, conservation education and other conservation initiatives. This year’s gala charitable dinner and art auction takes place on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at the South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter.
Tickets are $50 per person and patrons received an charitable gift receipt for half that amount. For tickets, talk to a Conservation Dinner committee member or phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610.
The gala Conservation Dinner includes a live auction of art and other unique items, a silent auction, special raffles and general raffles. Local individuals and businesses wishing to sponsor auction items or contribute donations to the event are encouraged to contact Ausable Bayfield Conservation.
For information on the Conservation Dinner visit conservationdinner.com

Area high school students will hit the stage at the Huron Country Playhouse this summer as members of the chorus of Disney’s High School Musical May 19 to June 5. Auditions for Avon Maitland, Bluewater, Huron Perth and Lambton Kent District School Boards take place this Sunday, February 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at South Huron District High School; London and Thames Valley District School Boards will audition from 2 to 5 p.m.. The auditions are exclusively for students in Grades 9 to 12, and 36 students will be chosen to perform in the show alongside professional actors, including Canadian I…

With sun-dried tomato polenta and pan roasted zucchini

Recipes by James Eddington
Eddington’s of Exeter
527 Main Street, Exeter
519-235-3030
http://www.eddingtons.ca

Photo by Casey Lessard

I am often asked, what is a supreme breast of chicken? A supreme breast of chicken is boneless except for the drumstick of the wing, and the skin remains. A butcher can prepare this, or you can do it yourself with a boning knife. Feel free to use a regular chicken breast if desired. For those who prefer not to eat the skin, you can remove it during the second stage of cooking; it just adds more flavor to the dish.

Eddington’s contemporary Italian pancetta chicken
Serves four

Ingredients:
Four 6-8 oz marinated supreme chicken breasts
8 slices pancetta or prosciutto
8 slices fresh mozzarella (two per breast)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
olive oil
8 cranks cracked pepper
A dash sea salt
(great alternative is a small splash of anchovy paste)

Marinade:
1 orange
1/2 tbsp of chilies
olive oil
diced fresh basil, oregano and thyme
(two sprigs of each)
1 clove of diced garlic

Marinate chicken over night: dice orange with peel on, mix with diced herbs, garlic, chilies and olive oil. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Roast chicken in 400°F oven for 20 minutes. While chicken is cooking, mix olive oil, minced garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, cracked pepper and sea salt together in small mixing bowl (this can also be done ahead of time to extract a more robust flavor).
Top each chicken breast with two slices of pancetta or prosciutto on each breast of chicken. Drizzle half of grape tomato mixture over pancetta, then layer two slices of fresh mozzarella. Drizzle remaining mixture. Return to 400°F oven for another 10 minutes.
Now your chicken will be ready to be layered and served on polenta.

Sun dried tomato polenta
(This can be made the night before when making the chicken marinade)

Ingredients
16 oz (2 cups) chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
A dash salt and pepper
1/8 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes

Combine chicken broth and milk in medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Slowly mix cornmeal, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low/medium setting. Gradually add remaining water. Cook for approximately 15 minutes. Mixture should be thick. Now add in remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour in to greased 9” spring form pan. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
Once chilled, place on cutting board, remove from pan and cut into wedges. Will make 8-12 wedges depending on size of cut. To finish cooking, place in 400°F oven on cookie sheet for 25 minutes or until golden brown. If you want to be creative, try grating Parmesan cheese onto wedges before reheating, or drizzling olive oil and balsamic vinegar over wedges.

Pan-seared zucchini
Ingredients
One zucchini, cut into long slender strips.

Pan sear on high heat on non stick pan for 1 minute per side moments before serving.
To glaze zucchini, steal the olive oil that will have somewhat separated from grape tomato mixture that was intended for the chicken.
To serve, layer polenta on center of plate, top with cooked pancetta chicken and accent with zucchini.

Wine pairing:
Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico, Italy
Medium bodied, plum, sweet tobacco, mushroom, and a touch of oak: complex finish.

On a side note: I would like to thank all the readers who express interest in my recipes. I’d love to hear about your experiences with the food, recommendations, or concepts/recipes you would like me to cover. Please email me at: wine-at-execulink.com
Most of all, I would like to thank Casey for bringing the Eddington’s food to life through photography. For those who have ever wondered when or where we do our pictures, well, we do them at the restaurant, our houses or wherever we can. Casey has been more than accommodating to drive to the restaurant with sometimes less than an hour’s notice when I call: “Hey Casey, I just got some fresh fish in, lets go to the green house,” or “Hey Casey, I am in the midst of making a chestnut soup, can you come by NOW and take some pictures? I have a great concept for the Strip.” It’s a great experience for both of us, and most of all, it’s creative fun that challenges us to strive for perfection. So, thanks Casey for all the wonderful photos. Look forward to many more great issues of the Strip!
Cheers, James Eddington

Sunday, January 31
1 to 3 p.m. – Morrison Dam, Exeter
Winter Wonderland snowshoeing event

ABCA education staff will be leading a guided hike on snowshoes. Participants will travel by snowshoe on the South Huron Trail while learning about trees and animal life in winter. The cost is $5 per adult to join in on the guided hike and there is no charge for children when accompanied by an adult. Please call 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 to register for the guided hike.
Anyone who wants to rent snowshoes for the event can rent them for only $3 per pair. They are available for rental starting at 1 p.m. sharp and must be returned by 3 p.m.
Snowshoers are reminded to dress appropriately for being outdoors and wear comfortable, low-heeled boots. After snowshoeing, enjoy some hot chocolate (please lug-a-mug) and warm up by the fire.

Saturday, February 13
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Sunnivue Farm
27093 New Ontario Road, between Parkhill and Ailsa Craig
Winter Day

Winter activities, good food, and good conversation. Organizers are hoping for snow so participants can enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, making snowmen, snow forts or snow sculptures. There will be a hockey game and hockey stick snow-shoveling contest, so bring your own hockey stick either way.
If snow fails to fall, there will still be a hockey game, and participants will enjoy a walk by the river or through the bush.
Visit the farm’s water buffaloes, who stay close to the barn in cold weather.
For lunch, the farm will provide hot apple cider, one of Ellinor’s renowned soups, bread, and wieners. Feel free to contribute additional treats.
For more information, call Sunnivue Farm at 519-232-9096.

You don’t need much to fill their bellies with this affordable – yet gourmet – dish

Recipe by James Eddington
Eddington’s of Exeter
527 Main Street, Exeter
519-235-3030
http://www.eddingtons.ca

Photo by Casey Lessard

Looking for something more romantic? “Take a flight this Valentine’s Day” from our February 2008 issue.

This recipe is intended for a slow cooker. If you do not own a slow cooker, don’t worry. It can be done in the oven; just reduce cook time by one-third and cook in covered roasting pan at 225°F.

You’ll need one pork leg, butt, shoulder blade or roast. It’s your choice. I have chosen a de-boned pork leg.
Note: This recipe (3 lbs) serves 8-10 people.

Ingredients

3 lb. pork (choice of cuts above)
1 tbsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 red onions diced
6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp coriander
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
(Optional. This will add flavour and heat)
1 small can tomato sauce
6 oz smoked hickory BBQ sauce
1 oz cider vinegar
355ml root beer (one bottle)
1 tbsp brown sugar

Preparation
Rub pork with salt and pepper, then sear in a large pan. Once seared, transfer pork into slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over pork. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours.
Once cooked transfer pork to cutting board, tent with tin foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, take 2 forks and shred pork. i.e. pull pork.
While pork is resting, pour remaining liquid in slow cooker into large pot. Let settle then skim fat off the top. Bring to a boil and reduce and thicken mixture, approx 15-20 minutes. Add pulled pork to mixture and you are ready to serve.

Note: this can be made prior to event and reheat pulled pork in sauce.

I have chosen to serve my pulled pork on a rosemary ciabatta bun with diced onions, avocado, pickled jalapenos’, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream. Served with sweet potato fries, and beer of course.
Delicious. Enjoy!

Accommodation Review Committee community representative Tom Roes tells Casey Lessard that Zurich Public School should stay open. And that Hensall and Usborne should, too.
Will the school board listen?

Recognizing declining enrolment in area schools, Avon-Maitland District School Board is currently reviewing the need to close schools, including Usborne Public School near Exeter, and Zurich and Hensall Public Schools. To make such a decision, the board is required to collect public input through an Accommodation Review Committee, or ARC.
Tom Roes, who home-schools his children, is the community representative for Zurich Public School, which is being considered for closure. The committee also consists of the parents’ council chair, and a representative of Bluewater and South Huron municipal councils.
A meeting scheduled for December 10 would have been the second in the ARC process, but it is now scheduled for January 7 at Usborne Public School. A further meeting is January 14 at Stephen Central Public School.

As told to Casey Lessard

At the beginning of the process, the board staff presents their preferred option. Staff don’t decide; trustees do. The board’s preferred option has three parts: take all of the Grade 7 and 8s and put them in the high school; part two is to close Usborne; and part three is to close either Zurich or Hensall. Ultimately, they want to close two schools.
It would be a devastating blow to lose either school. Zurich is full of young families, and to lose a school would be like ripping the heart out of the community. The students at Zurich feel very safe at their school, they have excellent relationships with their teachers, and the teachers have a good relationship with the parents.
Zurich has some of the EQAO results in the entire board. Zurich is at capacity. Zurich has among the best teacher retention rates of any school in the board.
I think the main rationale behind closing Zurich is that it is one of the smallest capacity schools in the board. We have a lot of splits and some triple-splits. But they haven’t proven that splits are bad for students.
I think Hensall should stay open as well. It has special education classes, and a move to Exeter would be hugely problematic for those kids. They just moved from McCurdy a few years ago and they’ve just recovered from that.
One idea that has been thrown out by the Hensall people is the idea of closing Exeter Public School and renovating or adding to the high school to have an elementary school attached to the high school. That would open up green space for those kids, they’d be going to school in their own town, it would solve vacancy rates, and solve the empty space issue at the high school.
At this point, I don’t support any schools or sending Grades 7 and 8 to high school. The board hasn’t taken into account the effects of such a decision.
The board hasn’t explored other options other than closing schools. They haven’t considered sharing space with other boards. Similar to what they did in Stratford between the public and Catholic high schools; they share facilities.

It bothers me that, ultimately, we have no power in this decision. The board has the decision making power over the schools. We can only make suggestions. The Community School Alliance has been fighting with the ministry for a few years now trying to get them to call for a moratorium on closing schools where the closure is in dispute (such as is the case here). The minister refuses to do that.
According to the policy that rules the ARCs, the highest priority is supposed to be the value of the school to the students. If you look at what they’re doing, the highest value is clearly the bottom line. Avon Maitland is running a balanced budget, so that shouldn’t be a factor.
There’s a lot of skepticism that the board has already made their decision and this is a rubber stamp process they have to go through. There’s some evidence to support this. The ARC they did last year, they did five meetings to review one school, and they’re asking us to do the same type of review for five schools in the same number of meetings. Some other boards, including Simcoe and Peel, did ARCs reviewing four to six schools and had up to 26 meetings.

What do you think?
To have your say, Roes recommends you attend one of the meetings, write your MPP or school trustee, or tell the trustee what you think by talking with your votes.

Keeping the Peace
By Tom Lessard, C.D.

It all began about the middle of November. The weather was perfect for the harvesting of corn and beans, and the planting of winter wheat. Also, it was ideal for the installation of Christmas decorations. Dark evenings became brighter and brighter. First, one resident put up a couple of lights. His neighbour then, not to be outdone, put up a few more. Just like clockwork, the fellow across the street sees his chance to outdo the Joneses and erects lights and blown-up Santas or Scrooges. Sure enough, everyone gets in on the game and pretty soon we don�…

Yes, this year you will actually roast chestnuts on an open fire, and then create a delicious soup

Recipes by James Eddington
Eddington’s of Exeter
527 Main Street, Exeter
519-235-3030
http://www.eddingtons.ca

Chestnut soup

4 cups chestnuts, peeled and skinned
3/4 cup equal parts diced celery, carrots and onions
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsbp butter
pinch garlic
pinch allspice
pinch cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat stock pot on medium heat, add butter and olive oil and sauté until semi-soft. If you want to reduce heat and slow cook, this will draw more flavour. Add roasted chestnut and chicken stock, bring to boil for approx. 15 min. or until chestnuts are soft. Now add 1 cup of heavy cream, garlic, cinnamon, all spice and salt and pepper. Use a hand blender and pureé soup until smooth. If still chunky, boil for another 5 min. and reblend.
Feel free to be creative in garnishing this soup. For example, whisky-soaked cranberries or apricots are a nice touch; shaved roasted parsnips or caramelized bacon and onions would complement this soup.

Note: roasting chestnuts
Preheat oven to 425˚F.
(The following is NOT fun, but worth it in the end:) Use a sharp knife to cut an X into one side of the chestnut to allow the steam caused by roasting to escape; if you don’t do this, the chestnut will explode.
Place each chestnut with the cuts facing up onto cookie sheet. Roast 20-30 minutes or until chestnuts are tender, easy to peel, golden brown in color, and the shells are beginning to open.
Peel nuts when they are cool enough to handle.

Oven-roasted salmon with a zesty mustard and herb glaze
6 salmon fillets OR
1 fresh side of salmon
2 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs fresh chopped rosemary and thyme
splash of white wine
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh lemon

Combine garlic and herbs in a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds, then add wine, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Blend for another 15 seconds.
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Use baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Arrange salmon on sheet and spoon mustard mixture over the fillets evenly. Bake for approx. 15 minutes until salmon are done. Note: many people are nervous when it comes to cooking fish. Do not overcook fish; cook until texture is slightly firm; no more. The centre of the fish should be hot, but retain its moisture.

Boursin crab stuffed potato
(A great little side)

In a mixing bowl, combine a wheel of boursin cheese, 1 cup of crabmeat, a pinch of salt and pepper, 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs, and a squeeze of lemon. Mix together.
Cook potatoes. You can used baked, a mini, or a red, whatever. Once cooked and cooled, cut potato in half, hollow out centre, and add boursin mixture. To make it more dense, add potato flesh that was removed to the cheese mixture. This can be made a day ahead; to reheat, place in oven on baking sheet eight minutes prior to salmon.

Chocolate, Bailey’s & Tia Maria café au lait
1 cup whole milk
3 oz Bailey’s
3 oz Tia Maria
cinnamon stick
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups brewed strong coffee
1/4 cup heavy cream
cinnamon, icing sugar and cocoa for garnish

In medium sized saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar and cocoa until smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add cinnamon stick, pinch of cloves, Bailey’s and Tia Maria.
Simmer for approx. four minutes, then reduce heat to low setting and let steep for 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream and add pinch of sugar. (Feel free to add a hint of vanilla.)
Strain mixture into another pot and add coffee. Bring back up to temperature. Serve immediately and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Zurich photographer opens shop in Exeter above Village Vines

Story and photo by Casey Lessard

One of our favourite area photographers, Sandra Regier, opened a studio and office above Village Vines in Exeter in July. Regier hosted an open house Friday to show the new place, which is a photographer’s dream. The former apartment has two floors: the floor above the flower shop is her office, and the top floor is a wide open loft ideal for studio portraits and classes.
“I wanted to separate my work and family life,” Regier says, noting she was previously running the business from her home. “I got busy a lot faster than I thought I would. When I was at home, I was always working. Part of it was to separate that. I also wanted to show people that it is my business and I take it seriously. I love doing it, but it’s not just a hobby.”
Now that digital photography has made photography a hobby anyone can do, it seems like many are trying to also make it a business. The Strip asked Regier what she thought of the trend.
“For me, it’s making sure the images last a lifetime and are well taken care of,” she says. “I also want to make sure your children and grandchildren have pictures to look at. It’s not just about having pictures on a disc, but also prints that can become family heirlooms. Digital is really easy, it seems, but if you never make a print or album, there’s nothing for people to look at. It’s important to me that you have something that has lasting power.”
To get a sense of Sandra’s work, visit http://www.sandraregier.com or stop by her studio at 391 Main Street in Exeter.