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.

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.

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?

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!

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 :)

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

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

Its been a while since my last post. Blogspot is confused and I haven't been able to access this from my computer. Weird. So...I have come in through the back door. The first "Fresh From the Market" class was a hit. Aside from a small case of nerves ( I forgot to add the icing sugar to the first recipe) all went well and the participants said they really enjoyed the class and the food.I am very thankful to those that came and supported me. I am really looking forward to the next one. Mark your calendars for June 22. I will have 5 new recipes for you to try. And no, they don't all have KICS in them!

My next column comes out this Friday in the Tri-City News. The focus this month is strawberries. They are starting to appear at market in limited quantities and boy are they good. There is nothing like a local strawberry to set the mood for summer eating. Use them to garnish the recipe below.

LEMON RICOTTA MOUSE

1 lb light cream cheese

500ml ricotta cheese

2 C. whipping cream

1 C KICS Lemonade Syrup

2 C icing sugar

Beat cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Stir in ricotta and KICS. In a separate bowl, whip cream into stiff peaks. Fold cream into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into bowls and chill. Garnish with fresh fruit.

Note: This recipe freezes well! Spread mixture into a 9x11 parchment lined pan and freeze until firm. Cut into squares to serve.

If you are feeling adventurous, try substituting the lemon syrup for one of my new flavours. I think the blueberry would be especially good.

Practicing Recipes

Hi All!
I am embarking on a new adventure with KICS, Cooks n Corks, and the Coquitlam Farmer's Market. Beginning in May I will be teaching cooking classes! We are starting with 2 and we will go from there. The focus of the classes will be what is fresh, local and in season. May 25th is the first class. I will source as many of my ingredients as I can from the amazing selection of goodies at Cooks N Corks, and the wonderful vendors at Market. The following recipe is my first experiment. Good thing my family and friends are willing to be guinea pigs while I play!

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS, GARLIC SCAPES AND SAUSAGE


Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 C. dried penne (or other tubular pasta)
3 C chopped asparagus
1 C chopped garlic scapes
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove  minced garlic
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
2 Tbsp KICS lemonade syrup
1 tsp anchovy paste (Do NOT leave this out, it is the magic ingredient!) (After KICS of course!)
4-5 mild italian sausages, casings removed
grated Asiago cheese, for serving

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook past according to package directions. In the last 2-3 minutes, add the asparagus and garlic scapes and cook until bright green and crisp. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, drain pasta and vegetables.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together oil, KICS, anchovy paste, garlic, 1/2 tsp coarse salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set aside.
Brown sausage in frying pan until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
Return pasta and vegetables to big pot, add sausage and oil mixture. Toss well to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to form a thin sauce that coats the pasta.
Serve sprinkled with grated Asiago cheese.

I was so impressed with the way this turned out that I ate 2 bowls!
Let me know what you think.

So much excitement!!

It has been quite a couple of weeks. New recipes, new opportunities, new challenges. I don't know where to start. So...how about telling you what started the madness. Me and my big ideas.

I made a new recipe two weeks ago to play around some more with my lemonade and Dyanna's Aji. I ended up with a fabulous chickpea stew. ( Recipe to follow!) While I was creating I got to thinking that our local paper needs another column. This one should focus on local food, and promote the farmer's market (of which I am a passionate member). I sent my idea off to the editor of the Tri-City News, and he liked the idea. Now I am waiting to hear if I will be writing it!

After I made the stew, I thought I would take some down to my friend Septembre at Cooks n Corks because some of the ingredients came from her store. That led to me proposing a series of cooking classes, again focusing on fresh, local market food. I am now teaching those! Mark your calendars for May 25th and June 22nd.

Now I'm thinking about recipes, learning about what is in season, and wondering what I have gotten myself into! At the end of the day, I am soooo excited!

In honour of all this madness, here are TWO new recipes.

CHICKPEA STEW

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp KICS Lemonade Syrup
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs ACE CURRY TO GO Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Fleur de Sel with Herbes de provence
2 tbsp original AJI
14 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian spices
14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Cups chopped spinach,
1 small chopped zucchini

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Saute onions til soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer till sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes.

Serve over couscous.


And for dessert....

APPLE STRAWBERRY CRISP

10 small Ambrosia apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
1 Lb strawberries, sliced
1 and 1/2 C KICS MANGO LEMONADE SYRUP, divided
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 C rolled oats
1 C flour
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C slivered almonds
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 c melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix apples and strawberries together in s large bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 C KICS syrup with cornstarch and mix into a paste. Add remaining KICS and cook over medium heat until thickened and clear. Pour into fruit and stir to combine. Pour fruit into baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients and crumble over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees, 45 minutes. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream.

New Market Recipe

Happy Market Day Everyone!

I had a fabulous day at the Coquitlam Winter Market. My friend Dyanna and I shared a table. She sells the most amazing condiment called "AJI". It defies description. Some say it is a salsa, some say its a relish, I say its delicious and I wouldn't make my meatloaf without it. In honour of our pairing today, I made a new quinoa salad using KICS and AJI in the dressing. It was a hit!! We handed out samples all day and everyone enjoyed it. So...here is the recipe.

1 c quinoa

1 c chicken stock and 3/4 c water.

Cook the quinoa in the liquid, set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.

1/3 c olive oil

1/3 c KICS Lemonade Syrup

4 tbsp original AJI

1/2 tsp fleur de sel with herbs d'provence

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 clove minced garlic.

Combine the above ingredients and set aside.

When the quinoa is cool, combine it with about half the dressing and whatever chopped veggies you have on hand. I used spinach, red pepper, tomato, red onion, grated carrot and asparagus. Add more dressing if needed.

I thought any left over dressing was tasty enough to make a marinade too, or just drizzled over some new spring greens with a bit of feta. Maybe I will make that for the next market! You will have to come and see.

SPRING!!

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

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!!

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

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

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

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

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

Coquitlam market June 2011

Relay for life......

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....

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.....