Just for KICS

SPRING!!

2012-03-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

The snowdrops are finished, the daffies are almost out and the new Farmer's Market season is just around the corner. We are excited for the new season. New markets, new flavours, new friends. I guess I am as programmed as the rest of us to start looking toward lighter, brighter food. I made a new soup today that features ham and navy beans, spinach, asparagus and finished with KICS to bring it all together. I am rather impressed if I do say so myself!

SPRING HAM SOUP

1 ham hock
10 cups cold water
1 quartered onion
2 cloves garlic
Put this in a big pot, bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer 4 hours. Strain off the liquid, saving the liquid and the ham bone. Pick all the meat off the bone and return it to the liquid. Discard the onion and garlic.

To the pot add the following:
1 finely chopped onion,
2 cloves minced garlic
1 x 19oz navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup finely chopped spinach
1 cup finely chopped asparagus
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup small pasta ( I used acini di pepe)
1 tsp fleur de sel with herbs d'provence (this is a salt mix by Cote d'Azur that I buy at Cooks and Corks)
freshly ground peppper to taste
Simmer 30 mins or so
Add 1/3 cup KICS Lemonade syrup and adjust seasoning if necessary

My girls and I love to go to Bosa Foods just of Boundary and First in Vancouver. They have an astonishing selection of pastas. We pick out 2 or 3 each to take home and play with. Acini de pepe is my new favourite for soups. It is a tiny ball, and when it is cooked it keeps its shape and doesn't go all mushy.

The Fleur de sel with Herbs d'provence is another favourite spring ingredient. It finishes new spring greens beautifully. Thanks to my friend Diana in Kamloops for introducing me to this.

Fall Nesting

2011-10-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when I invariably start to hunker down for the winter. That means cleaning out cupboards and tidying shelves, as well as baking and cooking and filling up the freezer. The Curtis's have something on every night, so a freezer full of easy to prepare meals and lunch treats is a must. With that in mind, I'd like to share a new recipe. Buy a bag of big frozen shrimp from Costco (I buy the ones in the pink bag) and use it to make 2 or 3 freezer bags to grab when you need a fast meal.

KICS LEMON ZUCCHINI SHRIMP

Divide the bag of shrimp into 2 or 3 ziplock freezer bags (depends on how many you need to feed) and do not thaw.
Add To each bag
1 chopped zucchini
1tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp minced hot chili (leave in the seeds if you want it hotter)
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tsp minced ginger (I Keep a ginger root in the freezer and just grate what I need)
1/2 KICS Lemonade Syrup

Mix it all up in the bag and pop it back in the freezer. When you need a quick meal, stir fry it over high heat and serve it over freshly cooked rice. If you want an even faster meal, you can cook the rice ahead of time and split it into bags too. Staple the bags of rice to the bags of shrimp (above the plastic zip) and steam the rice while you are cooking the shrimp.

New Ideas!!

2011-09-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hello again,
I figured I better post something new before I forgot how to do this. Dear Di is off in Niger teaching sewing for a few weeks and can't bail me out! I am trying to create a spice rub. How does lemon, pepper, garlic, onion, ginger and salt sound? I tried it tonight on some pork tenderloin and it was a hit in the Curtis house. I am also working on a sweet blend too, to use in baking. Put together lemon, nutmeg and ginger last night, then used it in a white chocolate chip cookie. MMMMM Yum!!

Let me know if you have any ideas for rubs. I am open to suggestions.

Cheers,
Karen

New Markets

2011-08-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Check out the new Coquitlam Farmer's Market at Spirit Square. Located right behind City Hall and the library. it is beautiful green space filled with music and all your favourite vendors. It runs Fridays from 4-8pm.
My daughter Hailey and her friend Devon work the market for me and will make you feel welcome. They have samples of lemonade, LUSCIOUS CREATION"S cake truffle pops, and new this week, my neighbour's marvelous spice, TAWABEL...A Taste of Africa!!! You can eat your way through our booth and come away satisfied.

In Honour of Mona's return to market with TAWABEL, here is recipe that uses both her spice and my lemonade.

TAWABEL/KICS Chicken

Combine 1 cup KICS Lemonade Syrup with 1 TBSP TAWABEL spice mix. Use it to marinade your favourite chicken pieces, then cook chicken as usual.

You will be delighted by the complex, rich spice.

new KICS flavours

2011-07-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. My dear frien Di has taught me how to actually post my own musings! So...I am throwing a question out to you all. What new flavours would you like to see? Lemon lime? Blueberry? Passionfruit? I am contemplating some new ideas and would sure appreciate any feedback. And speaking of feedback, here is a new drink recipe from an old high school friend.

Jennifer's Raspberry Kiss

2 oz. KICS Raspberry Lemonade Syrup
8 oz. club soda
2 oz. vanilla vodka (Stolyi is best)

Combine and serve over ice.

Quionoa salad yumminess

2011-07-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Karen has been busy in the kitchen... and came up with this yummy salad. Full of KICS flavour and the healthy benefits of Quionoa. We hope you enjoy....

KICS QUIONOA SALAD

Dressing
1 C KICS lemonade syrup (original flavour)
1/2 Tsp fleur de sel with herb de provonce
1 Tsp chopped or crushed garlic
1/4 C chopped sweet onion (purple adds great color)
1/3 C Olive oil

Mix all together refrigerate to let flavours mingle for an hour.

Salad
1 C Quionoa
2 C chicken stock

Cook Quionoa in the chicken stock - follow package directions ( the chicken stock replaces the water)
Let cool.
Add a bag of broccoli coleslaw or 4 cups of jullenne vegetables of your choosing (peppers, broccoli, carrots etc)
Add in the dressing mixture and refrigerate until serving time.

Karen's fan club

2011-07-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

The smiles tell it all. These boys love KICS Lemonade!

Coquitlam market June 2011

Relay for life......

2011-06-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again

Relay For Life 2011 Coquitlam

Saturday, June 4, 2011

THAT'S THIS WEEK
10am-10pm
Percy Perry Stadium

http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=439271

KICS is a proud supporter of this event and invites you to come and join the fun

Team page

Karen's personal page

Walk a couple of laps of the track and show your support for those who are facing the cancer challenge right now. Remember those who have lost that fight. Pray for the family and friends left to deal with the aftermath of such a loss! It is hard to escape the far reaching fingers of cancer. Let's do our best to support this great event.

WE can make a difference....

More yummies....

2011-05-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

KICS Buttercream frosting

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Shortening

4 Cups Icing Sugar

2 TBSP KICS lemonade syrup

1Tsp water

Food colouring as desired.

In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening till light and fluffy. Slowly add Icing sugar and KICS, 1 cup icing sugar, 1 TBSP KICS...

Beat till light and fluffy. Keep covered until ready to decorate. Use to frost your favorite cakes or cupcakes.

So lemony good.....

MMMM Marinade...

2011-05-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Honey Lemon marinade

1/4 Cup KICS lemonade syrup

1/4 Cup oil ( I used a high omega oil)

2 TBSP water

1 Tsp fresh ground pepper

3 sprigs fresh parsley - chopped or torn

3 sprigs fresh cilantro - chopped or torn

1 Tsp Western Sage Cinnamon Honey

Wisk all ingredients together - let 'rest' for 20 min to let flavours blend.

Pour over fish and bake or grill.
General rule of thumb for salmon is 10 minutes / per inch of thickness. (measure at the thickest point) @ 350.
I baked ours, on a cookie sheet with cooling racks to lift the salmon off the pan. Worked beautifully, I can not wait for our BBQ to come out for the season to try this again. (Next time on pork!)

Before baking After baking (so YUMMY)

Enjoy!

Monday's market musings.....

2011-05-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Just a little glimpse into Karen's Sunday's market in Coquitlam!

"best day at market. 2 of my favourite little customers came buy for their lemonade and they wanted to have their picture taken with me. Their mum says that they play lemonade lady at home. I am a star!!!"

Life is all about connections and people... when both come together it is magic!
May you find that magic - possibly over a glass of KICS!

It may be cold, it may be wet

2011-05-11T11:16:00.002-07:00

But we will still be there. (we are crossing our fingers for dry!) We hope to see you there too.

This weekend

Saturday:

Burnaby Farmers Market in it's new location @ the Burnaby Village Museum.
Di will be there this Saturday from 9 - 2.
This is your first chance of the season to pick up KICS from this location.

Sunday:

Coquitlam Farmers Market -

Sunday 9am - 1pm
Located at the Dogwood Pavilion parking lot Coquitlam.
Poirer & Winslow street

Karen will be there all summer long.
Make sure you ask her about new things happening at KICS.

Rain Rain go away....

2011-05-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Farmers Markets are coming our way!
It is that time of year, Farmers markets all over the lower mainland are kicking off this weekend.
Karen will be at Coquitlam Farmers Market this Sunday from 9am to 1pm. Make sure you stop by and say hi.

You will not want to miss the your first opportunity to pick up your first bottle of KICS of the season!

Who? What? Where? When?

2011-05-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Just a few more "W's" to add to yesterday's Welcome.

Who: Kics Lemonade - Is a growing, family owned, company based out of Port Coquitlam B.C.

Isla & Karen the early years

Using a recipe handed down from one generation to the next, Isla & Karen set out a number of years ago to share Kics with family and friends. In the beginning lemons were squeezed by hand and lemonade was bottled almost as fast as they were selling it. Advertising was by word of mouth, and afternoon samples at the market. Sunday afternoons at the farmer's market was treasured time shared by mother, daughter & grand-

daughters.

Now years later, lemons are no longer squeezed by hand, there are not enough hands to keep up. One farmers market is now over 5. Samples are still given out at market, word of mouth is still our favorite form of advertising, and our online presence opens up a whole new world as Karen continues to grow the company. Kics continues to be dedicated to providing high quality, hand made goodness, reminiscent of days gone by.

Kics truly is a legacy of love!

What: Kics Lemonade Syrup = good old fashioned Lemonade goodness. It does not get any easier, just add water for the best lemonade ever. Truly Lemonade the way it used to be. Made with all natural ingredients and lots of love, just like Granny used to make.

We are not stopping there, Kics is not JUST for lemonade, we are continually experimenting and creating recipes that incorporate Kics.

Where: Local farmers market around the Metro Vancouver BC area.

When: All year round. Please check back often for specific dates and times.

Welcome..

2011-05-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to 'Just for KICS' the Kics Lemonade place to be! See where we are, what we are doing & what's new. Farmers Market season is upon us and that means life will get a little bit busier than normal, that just adds to the fun of it all.

We will be posting, recipes, photos, a few FAQ's and a few other little surprises very soon.