someone left the cake out in the rain...

Man, I am freaking out.... I'm always joking that I'm a redneck at heart, but what if it's true.... in a huge political discussion that more resembled a debate between Dave and I last night, I found myself agreeing with a lot of the things he was saying... And not just to fit in.... It all seemed to make sense... Oh man. I'm sure it's just the isolation working in my brain (of course I'm still a bleeding heart lefty). I had dreams about camp cooking last night.... what does that mean - can someone help a lady out? I thought I'd try something special for breakfast today. I made about 16 blueberry pancakes. I threw out about 13 blueberry pancakes.... Well, screw you guys - they looked delicious.To be fair no one seemed hungry this morning - Dave had his usual (oatmeal - how he does it every day, I have no idea), Fred did have the 2 or 3 pancakes that got eaten and some thick sliced bacon (but I think he'd eat almost anything out of some weird french table manners thing or something), Gary, as I found out yesterday, despite his size and evening appetite, "don't eat breakfast". The night crew came in, and Brad walked in shortly after the truck turned off to "give me the heads up" that Kevin was going straight to bed, and that I could put everything away if I wanted because, as per usual, he grazes the leftovers instead of eating the breakfast because 1) it reduces waste; and 2) he likes to eat dinner for dinner even though it's 7am. It was nice of him to tell me - I cleaned everything up and went straight back to bed. And slept like the dead for 3 hours.

The accomplishments of the day:

5 dozen chocolate cookies
butter tarts
pastry (which I hope works out) for five pies for tomorrow
egg salad


and dinner:

Roasted Roots and Warm Corn, Mushroom, Leek and Bacon Salad and, drum roll please - (Mom I hope it's okay to divulge your secret recipe - I also named what was always one of my favorite meals):


Barb MacArthur's Famous Stuffed and Slathered Meatloaf

Step 1: Take a pound of lean ground beef and toss it in a bowl. Add 1/2 a diced onion, 1 egg, and salt & pepper, and a handfull of oats (you're basically making hamburger patties). Mix with your hands and add oats until the mixture is still loose but can easily be formed.
Step 2: Line a baking tray with foil (you don't have to, but it makes clean up a heck of a lot easier).
Step 3: Transfer beef to the baking tray and flatten the mixture out into a huge and oblong patty (it's important to spread it almost as wide as the pan).
Step 4: Place either sliced or chopped ham OR cooked cut up bacon OR a mixture of both along the long center of the patty leaving an inch or two on the ends.
Step 5: Place grated cheddar (I suppose any hard cheese will do) on top of the pig on top of the beef.
Step 6: (This one can be a bit tricky.) Carefully fold the long edges of the patty up to meet each other over the filling, pressing together to form a log. Work ends together to prevent rogue cheese from oozing out.
Step 7: Press an indent along the long center of the log (you will see why in Step 9).
Step 8: Make the "slather" by combining equal parts ketchup and brown sugar with a couple squirts of yellow mustard - this is the "Sweet BBQ Sauce" - until you get a sweet and thick sauce.
Step 9: Pour sauce down the indent and spread out, allowing it to drizzle over the sides and ends.
Step 10: Bake for about 45 minutes at 325F or until the beef is cooked (a good indication is melty cheese and clear juices). Remove from oven, let sit for 5 or 10 minutes, cut into slices, and enjoy!

The amount of the stuff the guys ate tonight seemed to suggest that they enjoyed it. And Fred just told me he loved the sauce and when I credited Mom's secret recipe he told me that "your mom, she have some good seecret." That's my mom - bringing me closer to cute french guys since 1979.

This is Zorro. Zorro is Jayne's dog who stays out here to protect Melinda (and me!) from bears - he's not big, but I hear he chases off a mean bear (when he's not sleeping through it). He came inside last night, and he started on the floor of my room, but when i woke up in the middle of the night to a weird breathing sound, I discovered that he'd jumped up into bed and we'de been spooning for god knows how long. I don't know if Melinda lets him do that, but I enjoyed the company and the warmth - it was really cold here last night.

Off to burn some boxes.... and drink the last of my beer.

I found out today that I leave camp Wednesday night - not Thursday like I thought.

and you thought shot guns was a beer thing...

Holy shit it was early when I woke up this morning. Haven't seen the front side of 4:30am in a while. And to be honest, I really didn't need to be up that early, but, after last night, I wanted some extra time this morning. The early was compounded by the fact that there was nothing I could do to fall asleep last night. I guess anxiety and excitement does that. Is it bad if it takes you three beers to calm down and finally fall asleep? The night shift (the language-challenged cutie Fred, and Brad) came back last night at around 9:30pm - I guess the area they were supposed to be working at was flooded.... So I sat on the porch while it rained drinking beer and taking advantage of conversation with wide-awake people. Brad was very informative, and even showed me how to use the shot gun. I didn't fire it, but I think I could if I had to. Best quote of yesterday: "Adrenaline is the best drug going - well legally anyway". This seems to be the beer camp. Brad said he thought it was funny that all the pot heads were over in Georgia's camp, and all the beer drinkers were over here. I'm fine with that - I can control myself after a couple of beers, and we all know what happens when auntie takes a toke...

Speaking of 4:30am... Speaking of shotguns...


Breakfast went off reasonably problem-free. Based on pork chop consumption last night I opted to go with two packages of breakfast sausage - a mistake. Oh well - when life gives you extra breakfast sausage, make sausage rolls (which I did).

Delicious. Also delicious - a little something I like to call:

Leftover ham, Swiss & Sweet Mustard Tartlets

Step 1: Roll out pastry dough (that Melinda kindly left in the fridge)
Step 2: Finely chop leftover ham.
Step 3: Cut rounds out of pastry and press into muffin tins.
Step 4: Throw a dollop of sweet mustard in each cup.
Step 5: Fill each cup with ham chunks.
Step 6: Place sliced swiss on top of the ham.
Step 7: Bake at (shit what was it?) 350F (?) for (shit how long was it?)... until cheese is melted and pastry is cooked & golden.
Step 8: Remove, cool and enjoy. And I did.

Dinner tonight: Chicken Parmesan with Simple Creamy Pasta and Green Salad.


A crowd pleaser.

Had fun talking politics with Dave and making fun of french people - poor Fred - so cute, so french.



Boiled a whole bunch of eggs today - man the water... words won't do justice to what it does to eggshells....




That there, is NOT tea, nor lemonade - that my friends is my drinking water. Not to worry, it was boiled, but I'm not going to lie, it's hard to look at and harder to bring myself to drink.


Also, by far the funniest thing I've encountered here so far:

I've been using it, but, man, would I love to see one of these burly dirty men drink a cup of joe out of it.

This is what I'm taking to bed with me:

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Dessert.

Not too bad.


Good night kitchen - see you in 5 hours. (I'll probably get into this schedule the day I leave.)

you can take a girl out of town...

So, let me tell you about my first day at camp....

That's gold mining camp (for those of you who might have thought I was camping...)

The day started with me frantically running around, packing, cleaning the house, finishing up some business, etc.... I was at home at 1pm to wait for Dave (the guy picking me up to fly me out) to call, like I was told. He called at 2pm to tell me that he was running late and would pick me up at 3pm. Now keep in mind, this is my first solo camp cooking gig, Melinda (who I'm relieving) came in last night, so I have no idea what I'm walking into or where anything is, I have to make dinner tonight, and we're picking up a grocery order that has to be put away to boot.... So he picks me up, we pick up groceries, he makes a couple of stops and we head to the airport. In the plane at 4pm, and off. A storm front prompted Dave to take me on the "scenic" route - which was scenic but much longer than normal. Land, unload the plane, and off in the truck (which Dave informed me was currently just two-wheel drive due to a mechanical issue, and, "as long as it didn't rain a whole lot, we should be fine"). Well, because it rained tons last night, the road was basically a mud bog (great since I missed the festivities in town), which at points had me a little nervous, especially given that Dave seemed more interested in checking out the landscape more often than the road. So, I'm sitting there, trying to mask my aprehension, thinking "okay - there's going to be just enough time to put away the groceries and do something with the pork chops Melinda left to thaw for me"... and then - wait for it - FLAT TIRE!

So now it's 5:15pm, i am dirty from helping with said tire, and we still have another 20 minutes of treacherous driving through a series of "switchbacks" (basically, a ridiculously zig-zagging path down what would otherwise be a very steep slope).

Now, I was told that the most important things about camp cooking was to have lots of food and on time. First dinner (for the night guys) is supposed to be on the table at 6pm. Oh yeah - right on, it is 5:40pm and I have no idea where anything is, boxes of groceries all over, dirty dishes, and - oh sweet - the pork chops are still frozen....

How did I save the day? With charm and wit of course.

May I present:

White Trash Chops with Mushroom Sauce, Microwaved then Broiled Asparagus & The Quickest Mashed Potatoes Ever in 20 Minutes & 15 Simple Steps.

(photo taken is in leftover form - although it didn't look much better to start with- except for there was soggy asparagus too....)

Step 1: Freak out a little.
Step 2: Throw frozen pork chops into microwave to defrost.
Step 3: Peel some potatoes (after finally finding the peeler), and find some left over baby spuds to add to the mix. Chop very small and throw into a pot of water.
Step 4: Carefully ignite burner to boil potatoes.
Step 5: Check on pork chops - almost thawed - good enough. Place some olive oil in a skillet and throw in chops to quickly brown both sides. Turn heat down, cover.
Step 6: Find and open a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup.
Step 7: Asparagus! Trim, toss with some olive oil, salt, pepper. Place in a preheated (you wish) oven at, oh say, 400 degrees, decide that they will never cook fast enough, and toss them in the microwave instead.
Step 8: Poke potatoes... yep - still raw.
Step 9: Introduce yourself to the night crew starting to filter in, apologize profusely for dinner being late, and remember "oh shit - lunch stuff isn't out".... say a quick prayer (not that you believe in anything) that there's lots of lunch stuff from yesterday still (phew - there is) and toss meat cheese, condiments, fruit, veggies, and sweets out. No juice made up - okay now you boil water so you can make some juice. It won't be ready in time, but you have to try.
Step 10: Poke potatoes - they're coming.
Step 11: Fuck - pork chops! It's okay, they're fine - definitely thawed, mostly cooked. At this point, add your can of soup and some whipping cream, cover and simmer.
Step 12: Remove asparagus from the microwave and put in the searing hot oven to brown a bit. Don't forget about them.
Step 13: Drain potatoes. Return to pot, add cream, butter, mash. Leave lidded on stovetop to keep warm.
Step 14: Move cooked porkers to a serving dish. Add some more cream to the "gravy" and stir to deglaze the pan. At this point, you can add fresh mushrooms (which I did when I repeated this exact frantic dinner for the next crew for 7pm). Stir, thicken. Pour over pork chops.
Step 15: Throw meat and potatoes on the table with furrowed brow..... something's missing.... FUCK, THE ASPARAGUS. Remove the overcooked (but not burnt) asparagus from the oven and place on table.

Repeat for the guys coming in in half an hour.

Not exactly my best foot forward, but everybody seemed to like it okay.... even had some "thank yous" and one "that was good". And they ate all the asparagus! The worst part of the meal, and they ate it up! No dessert guys, sorry - maybe tomorrow.

Welcome to Schmidt Mining.

okay, okay

So I gave up for a while. It was after a conversation I had on the phone with my mom. I asked if she was reading the blog (because the family back in Ontario is the reason I started it), and she said not really. Same with dad, same with sister. So I thought, forget it. I didn't realize I had a following much closer (in many cases) than those uninterested parties out east. How did I realize this? The comments about my lack of "blogging" made me think maybe I'll just keep doing it.... then I realized I'm lazy.... but I do like positive reinforcement and talking about myself...

So, here it is - a new start to "As Far Away As Possible".... starting tomorrow.

i need a hero

Or I don't - for today, my friend Collette is absolutely my hero. She's moved off to Churchill, Manitoba for the summer (I hope it's for the summer) to run a bar there (and check out some polar bears?). Well if that lady ain't the shit at everything she does. The only person I know who can effortlessly (at least it appears effortless) end up in ridiculous and amazing situations on a regular basis. Shout out to you miss Collette. I've been flirting my ass off with a helicopter pilot for two years, and not even a mention of a free flight. Arg.

Best thunderstorm last night ever. Up here - especially when it's as dry as it is - lightning is usually very bad. I get why. And I couldn't bear another smoky summer like old 2005 (2004?). But I miss thunderstorms - they're such a common occurrence in Ontario - they don't happen that often up here. When they do, it's like magic - I wish I'd had a camera for the amazing sun-thunderstorm last night, and a way to capture and share the smell of thunderstorms in Dawson City.

tuesday is a day for canoeing.

Woke up at 8:30am to bake a cake - it's Mindy's 40th birthday today - so I was free to go out for a canoe trip down the Klondike. Then the clouds rolled in. It was sunny all morning, and it's sunny now (9pm). Although I was optimistic about the weather and thought we should just go anyway, I got veetoed, and the trip was canceled. There were some pretty loud thunder claps and a few bolts of lightning. Oh well, perhaps next week. So what did I do instead, you might be wondering? I borrowed a bike with the intentions of riding it out to Bear Creek to visit Janice and Shelby. Forty-five minutes later, I arrived - thank god they were home. The ride itself wasn't bad - the head wind at points and the traffic (worrying that a flying rock from fast moving oncoming vehicles is terrifying) were the only bad things. Oh, except for the fact that today's ride was the first time I'd been on a bike in a long time, so my butt hurts - and apparently physical activity is hard when the only exercise you get is carrying beers from one end of the bar to the other.

Best things about today: Making pizzas for Mindy's birthday with Janice and Shelby (from scratch) and hanging out with babies. Wayne and Mindy's new one, Hazel, and Doug and Ashley's new one, Cove, are hella cute. I stopped by the bar to see if anyone was around, but remembered my new plan of not stopping by my place of employ on my days off. Yesterday, I stopped in and ended up having to stick around because of a wee emergency. Which I don't mind doing at all, but if I'm not there, there could be other options instead of me having to work. And it's probably good to spend some time at home anyway.

So I've rented me a couple of movies, and maybe I'll make some popcorn.

Oh, and I made a pretty sweet birthday cake shaped like "40" for Mindy today: Carrot Cake with home made cream cheese icing. Yum.

lucy loves me

Well, I had a great start to the day. First, I fell asleep on the couch after getting home at 4am to a weird late night movie on CBC after eating another awesome midnight snack (baba ganoush and homemade chinese food from the freezer in case you were wondering). At around 8:30am, I woke up to tiny "romping around" noises much too close to me to be able to sleep through it. At first, I thought Lucy was just messing around and being crazy as she sometimes does. Then I noticed the romping had a purpose. Is that a dead mouse? Oh wait, no. It's a mostly dead mouse.... Way to go Lucy, way to go. I get that bringing in dead rodents and birds is supposed to mean that my cats love me, but I'd rather they kept their presents to themselves, or left the dead animals on the door step like civilized cats. At least fully kill them before entering the house - COME ON.



That brings this year's totals to:

• 2 live birds
• 1 dead bird
• 1 almost dead (and then dead) mouse
• 1 very dead (we're talking rigor mortis) mouse (shrew?)

Yep. I've got quite the pet cemetery going outside...

Apparently, it snowed in Whitehorse today. Suckers. It's beautiful up here. We had a ten minute thunderstorm that passed over town, but currently the sun's out , the sky's blue, and it's hot. Not as hot as Guelph apparently - A guy that checked in today said when he left a few days ago it was, like, 42 degrees. Whoa.

I'm really looking forward to my days off this week. For the first time in what feels like a long time, I have no ridiculous obligations. Maybe I'll go golfing again. Maybe I'll get out on the river. Maybe I'll watch the entire first season of Perfect Strangers.... the possibilities are almost endless. I'll definitely spend some time in my yard - the garden is coming along quite nicely - no sign of pesky aphids, the plants I bombarded with insecticide seem to be bouncing back - perhaps, I'll take a couple of photos to prove my green thumb exists....

I wish something interesting had happened at work last night, but other than being super busy, the day went by mostly uneventfully. Oh, except for, Dylan and I had our first serious collision behind the bar. I've worked closely with him for two years. We have a pretty good system when we're sharing the tiny work space at Peggy's, but last night, for reasons unknown to us, we weren't jiving at all. Toes got stepped on, bottles got dinged, multiple oopses and sorries got muttered, and for our crowning achievement, we managed to collide with a full tray of empties in between us. Other than a bit of a bruise on my arm, some drink dregs spilled on my shirt (I got the worst of it for sure), one broken martini glass, and a very loud clatter, it wasn't so bad - just slightly embarrassing for both of us. They can't all be winners.

Me and Dylan last Halloween.
In case you were unsure, he was a sailor and i was a "roll in the hay".