Sunday, June 9, 2013

What a day! Mother nature was very confused. She didn't know if she should be raining or shining. Either way, it was still a great market day. I came home with some yummy new potatoes, lettuce, green onions and kale. Dinner will be good tomorrow. Tonight's dinner will be even better because I am not cooking it! And speaking of cooking, for those of you who stopped by the tent today and sampled my newest KICS creation, here is the recipe.

KICS Lemon Coconut Bars.
  • 1 1/2 Cups - all purpose flour
  • 1/2 Cup - icing sugar
  • 3/4 Cup - butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 - eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 Cup - KICS Lemonade Syrup, any flavour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Cup - Unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine flour, icing sugar, salt  and butter  in a food processor.  Pulse until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of a lightly greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes
  3. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, KICS Lemonade syrup, coconut,salt and baking powder until well mixed. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  4.  Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Guest Blogger-Why We Relay



Hi All,

Heather contacted me to see if she could share her story. As you know, KICS donates a percentage of sales to the Relay for Life, an initiative of the Canadian Cancer Society. Heather's story illustrates why we donate.

Welcome Heather!


Battling Cancer as a New Mother


I Survived Cancer Because My Daughter Gave Me Inner Strength


I am always the first person to tell other people that my 7-year-old daughter is right when she says that she saved my life. She believes this is true in the same way that she knows when she is hungry or sick. The idea of saving my life dwells within her soul to the degree that she says these words without even thinking about them ahead of time. Even though some persons mock her words, they simply do not comprehend the real meaning behind her sentiments.


My husband Cameron and I did not start to think about having a baby until we were already married for seven years. I must admit that I was a bit scared about the thought of getting pregnant because I was already 35 years old. Little did I realize that I would receive good news three months later! I was pregnant with my first child! I have to tell you that my feelings were a combination of awe, nervousness and extreme excitement. I was destined to be a mom! It is almost laughable when I think about how soon I began to think like a mother. I constantly rubbed my tummy and thought about the tiny person who was slowly forming inside my womb. I must have thought about at least a thousand different questions. Would I turn out to have what it takes to be a good mom? Would I teach my daughter to laugh and have fun? Would I be too restrictive? Would my daughter think I was cool? The only think I understood was that the ability to be a good mother was uppermost in my mind.


My pregnancy was so easy that I could have been pregnant at least ten times in a row! But, the ease suddenly became a little problematic. Lily had to be born with the help of an emergency C-section because she was a breech birth baby. I laughed, thinking that she would be born with a very round head. I guess I always try to see the positive aspects of any situation. I still feel a sense of amazement when I think about the emotional fervor I experienced the first time I held my daughter. This experience made me realize that I had to do everything in my power to shower my daughter with affection, joy and feelings of security. I had the desire to mold her into an incredibly capable adult. I wanted to be her mentor and shower her with my affectionate feelings. The world as I previously knew it ceased to exist the moment I held little Lily in my arms, and I then realized that she played an extremely important role in my life. I had the desire to shield her from every type of danger and simply hold her for the next ten thousand years. The moment I held Lily was so perfect that it was impossible to imagine the brewing storm that was just around the corner.


Sadly, I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma 3 ½ months after Lily was born. In addition to this gloomy medical report, my physician informed me that I needed to start receiving medical treatments for my condition right away or the consequences would result in my leaving this world in a period of 15 months. I thank God that my husband was so strong after I received the diagnosis from my doctor. However, I was completely shocked and just could not fathom the possibility of Lily and Cameron living without me in their lives. My husband decided to confront my condition by taking me to a place that offered technologically advanced measures to combat this rare illness. I met with a famous mesothelioma doctor in Boston who decided to perform a drastic procedure that involved removing my left lung, the lining of my heart and my diaphragm. I spent 18 days in my hospital bed recuperating from the surgery and an additional two weeks in an outpatient treatment center located in Boston. I then traveled to South Dakota to stay with my mom and dad for an additional two months. My parents were wonderful. They even took care of Lily while I was trying to regain my strength. After the two-month period ended, I went back home to Minnesota and received radiation and chemotherapy treatments.


Many moms in this type of situation would make sacrifices that would help them survive for the sake of their tiny newborns, and I was no different. I was still alive when Lily was six months old, even though I had to leave her side for an entire month while I received chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The Lord gave me courage to face the future because of my darling little daughter who needed my love and care.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that kills almost 95 percent of persons who have been diagnosed with this condition. When I remember my experience with mesothelioma, I realize that the being Lily's mother gave me the inner strength to survive in spite of the odds. Thinking about the fact that Lily needed me was the one thing that gave me the ability to meet the tests I had to face every day. So, when Lily tells other people that she saved my life, she is not just making up a story. My daughter's words are 100 percent true.


Monday, April 1, 2013

Oh my, the things I am learning! I have just started a KICS Pinterest page and I am trying to build a page for lemon recipes. I will pin all that I can there, and use them as a source of inspiration for new KICS recipes. I can't wait to start experimenting! Won't you join me?

Sunday, March 31, 2013

HAPPY EASTER everyone. I hope you made the most of this day and celebrated it in a meaningful manner. We were fortunate to share Easter dinner with our friends and neighbours last night, and to celebrate the return of our middle daughter. She had been away in Europe for two weeks on a school trip . She came home loaded down with Austrian chocolate. The Easter Bunny came early for us! As always, the turkey was brined in onion, garlic, chili, cumin and KICS. If you have never brined your turkey, I highly recommend it. You can find the recipe on the website.

KICS is growing! Glenburn Soda Fountain and Confectionary has picked us up to sell and serve in their delightful new soda shop. You can find them at 4090 Hastings Street in Burnaby, BC. I am headed out to the valley on Friday to try and find some new vendors for us. I am really looking forward to exploring. So if you are reading this and live out Abbotsford way, let me know of any likely spots to sell KICS.

So that's all for now.  I hope you don't get too many pranks played on you tomorrow!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Its market day tomorrow and it looks like its going to be lovely. As we get closer to spring there is more to choose from all the vendors. Spring greens are starting to appear! Its also time to get to work on your garden. If you are a Port Moody resident, the City has partnered with the police department and the Coquitlam Farmer's Market Society and begun a community garden. Check out the front page story in the Tri City News. http://www.tricitynews.com/community/199436771.html

Hope to see you tomorrow :)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Fresh from the Market Cooking Class


Fresh From the Farmer’s Mkt
Fresh From the Farmer’s Market in April!


Karen Curtis is back and many of you already know her as the Kics Lemonade lady at the Coquitlam Farmer’s Market! Winter is over and as much as I love squash and root vegetables, I can’t wait to sample spring’s delights! Slowly these are coming in season and tonight we’ll feature all that is available. Please join us as Karen shows us some great recipes this evening including:
  • Spiced Spring Pea Soup finished with Market Fresh Cheese Curds
  • Quinoa Cups with Little Qualicum Cheese & Spring Vegetables
  • KICS Lemony Shrimp and Asparagus Ricotta Tart
  • Slow Roasted Beef Carbonnade featuring Redl’s Beef and fresh herbs from Greendale Herb Farms
  • Butterscotch Apple Galette featuring Snowy Mountain Organic Apples
We’re so lucky here in B.C. with all of our agriculture – come and learn what’s in season!
Cost: $55.00 plus HST
Thursday April 25, 2013 * 6:30 – 9:30
Instructor: Karen Curtis
Sign Up now

Saturday, March 9, 2013

My How Time Flies!

As we gear up for the new market season I have committed myself to keeping this blog current. Of course, it has taken me an hour to figure out how to do that again! Google keeps changing things and when one does not keep up, well...you get the drift :). My other commitment is to figure out (or have my hubby show me) how to link all this social media stuff together so that my tweets and posts and things are all linked. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I am really excited about this upcoming week. I am teaching a new class at Cooks 'n Corks in Coquitlam. This month's menu features Forstbaur Farms grilled beet and quinoa salad, Little Qualicum Cheese baked onion cheese dip, Redl's jambalaya, Port Hardy Seafoods hazelnut crusted sole and Snowy Mountain Organics maple pear parfaits. Most of my ingredients will come from the Port Moody Winter market this sunday. I am temporarily working as the assistant market manager and loving every minute of it.

This new market season will hopefully find me spreading KICS wings and heading out to Abbotsford and into Vancouver to spread KICS joy. In the meantime, you can find me at the Port Moody Rec Centre every other Sunday. And since kale is starting to show up at market, here is a recipe that makes use of it, and KICS of course!


PASTA WITH FRESH KALE AND LEMON

3 Cups                       kale, ribbed and chopped into ribbons
½                                onion, finely chopped
2                                  cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp                                    olive oil
½ c                             KICS Lemonade Syrup
1 cup                          ricotta cheese
8 oz                            pasta
                                    Fresh ground pepper, salt to taste

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl, reserving 2 cups pasta water. While pasta is cooking, sauté  kale, onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until kale is wilted, 5 to 8 minutes. Add kale mixture to bowl of pasta. Add KICS  syrup to frying pan, and heat through. Add to pasta, thinning sauce with pasta water as necessary. Season with salt and LOTS of fresh ground pepper.

Serves 4-6