Snowing Again

Just when I thought spring was finally here (because almost all the snow outside had melted), it snowed again today. See photos below.


Wilbrod Street, looking towards Charlotte Street


Wilbrod House. All the snow had melted yesterday, and now there is a layer of snow on the ground again.


Reluctant subjects -- resident squirrels on Wilbrod Street. They were up the tree outside Wilbrod House when I came home today, and since I always have my camera with me, they had to put up with me taking their photos (just like my housemates and classmates at School). :D

The resident raccoon has thus far eluded me. Never mind. One of these days ...

End of Winter?

Today is the start of daylight saving here, and it was an unusually warm day (for winter anyway), so I went out for a walk around Strathcona Park (the park across from LCB Ottawa) in the afternoon. It felt so good to get some fresh air, after hours of studying and practising baking.

Here are some photos I took (click on photo for a larger image):














I love this one. A snowman and a snowdog that someone made. I think the snowdog looks like a Jack Russell Terrier or a Fox Terrier. How cute!!!

Savoury Muffins

Yesterday and today I was back volunteering in Production Kitchen. I had a great time! One of the highlights for me was making some savoury muffins for staff breakfast, using a basic recipe Chef CP asked me to modify and experiment with. Last week I had created a muffin mixture that still wasn't quite right, but this week the chef and I changed the ratio of certain ingredients and added other ingredients, and it worked.

I created the basic muffin batter, then mixed it with several flavours, and it was the smoked bacon and mushroom that proved popular with staff. This was essentially the recipe I ended up with:

Smoked Bacon and Mushroom Muffins
Step 1 - Mix all of the following together to create the basic savoury muffin batter (combine all dry ingredients first, then add in the wet ingredients):
270g plain flour
90g corn meal (polenta)
13g baking powder
3g salt
40g sugar
2 eggs
240g milk
220g vegetable oil
a pinch of coarse pepper
10g finely chopped fresh french shallots
2g finely chopped garlic

Step 2 - Add the following into the basic batter for flavour (you can also use other flavours like parmesan and chives):
30g chopped mushrooms, sautéed in a little oil (to remove excessive moisture in the mushroom)
20g lightly pan-fried smoked bacon (to remove excessive fat in the bacon and to intensify the flavour)

Step 3 - Spoon the muffin batter into lightly-greased muffin trays (I used shallow trays for small muffins 6cm in diameter), and bake in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius until the muffins are golden brown and done. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre of a muffin - if it comes out clean, it is done.

(Aside: At LCB, we are never told how long to bake something because every oven is different; we simply have to know how to tell if something is cooked, either by measuring internal temperature or by sight/touch.)

**************************************

Here are some photos of winter scenes outside LCB Ottawa that I took this afternoon, when I left Production Kitchen:

Lots of snow fell overnight, and this is what the park across from LCB Ottawa looks like now.


Snow in the Student Entrance Area of LCB Ottawa. This is how much snow fell in 24 hours, because this area was cleared of snow yesterday afternoon.

Minus 35 (13 January 2009)

I just read the following wind chill warning from the weather office.
http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/warnings/report_e.html?onrm104

******************************************
Warnings
Ottawa North - Kanata - Orléans
9:35 PM EST Tuesday 13 January 2009
Wind chill warning for
Ottawa North - Kanata - Orléans continued

Extreme wind chill values tonight and early Wednesday.

This is a warning that extreme wind chill conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.

At 9:30 PM weather radar is showing snowsqualls coming onshore to the Lee of Lake Huron from just south of Port Elgin to just north of Grand Bend. Meanwhile..A Georgian Bay snowsquall is making landfall near Collingwood and extending inland to Borden. Local snowfall amounts up to 15 centimetres in 12 hours are possible under intense snowsqualls. Whiteout conditions from bursts of heavy snow and blowing snow will also be significant issues to deal with.

Over eastern Ontario in the warned regions and especially along the Ottawa River Valley strong winds will develop behind a low pressure system moving into Québec. Winds combined with a cold Arctic air mass will give wind chill values near minus 35 mainly later this evening and overnight.

Dangerous winter driving conditions from accumulating snow and whiteout conditions from blowing snow and bursts of heavy snow are expected. Travel plans should be changed accordingly.

***********************************

I wonder if LCB Ottawa will cancel any classes this week due to the deteriorating weather conditions. Last week, they had to cancel/postpone an evening class for Superior Cuisine simply because the snowy condition was declared (by local authorities) dangerous for drivers. The School did not want students to drive home at 10pm in the snowy conditions.

I reckon -35 degrees Celsius is going to be the coldest I have experienced so far. Not looking forward to it at all. The bus strike in Ottawa simply isn't helping anyone. It's been over a month since the bus strike began (I believe it started on 10 December 2008)... Many of my classmates have had to take a taxi to school every time they have a class, and it is becoming a financial burden for some. I hope the bus strike ends soon. Fingers crossed.

Icy Conditions

Well, we have had a couple of days of freezing rain since Boxing Day, and it has turned the snow into ice. I had a really hard time shovelling the snow yesterday; in the end, all I could do was simply salt the icy footpath outside Wilbrod House, so that we can at least walk on it (rather than slide on it).

The driveway by the side of Wilbrod House (that is shared by about 5 houses here) has turned into a slippery "skating rink", and I had an interesting time sliding around on it in my boots yesterday, just to feel what it is like to go skating. :)


Icy footpath


My attempts to clear the footpath outside the side door were not very successful


Footpath leading up to the driveway


In this photo (and the next), you can see the shiny, smooth, slippery ice that has formed on the shared driveway.


The Wilbrod House garage is just behind the two trees on the right of the photo, and there is a gentle incline between the garage and the driveway. I practised sliding down the gentle incline quite a few times, much to the amusement or alarm (I'm not sure which) of the lone squirrel that was foraging for food on a tree behind the garage.

Speaking of sliding around on ice, I cannot wait to go skating on nearby Rideau Canal in February, when the canal freezes over and Ottawa hosts the Winterlude festival. I have never gone skating before, so this will be a whole new experience.

----------------------------------

PS. Update on 30 December 2008: I finally found out how to clear the ice on the footpath of Wilbrod House. My landlady showed me this ice-breaking tool she uses. It is like a chisel (a wedge at the tip), and is used to break the ice (see the pole-like tool next to the snow shovel in the photo below).


Tools we use for clearing snow and ice.


Sharp, chisel-like tool for breaking ice.


The footpath is cleared of ice now.

Random Reflections VI: What I Took For Granted in Australia

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to the local supermarket Loblaws (10 to 12 minutes' walk from Wilbrod House) today to do some last-minute grocery shopping.

Here are two photos of the winter landscape, as I trudge through the snow on my way to the supermarket:

I am on Wilbrod Street, looking east towards Charlotte Street (not visible in this photo)


Looking west towards the University of Ottawa, as I stand outside Australia House

As you can see, it is simply easier to walk in the middle of the road, where the snow has been cleared. Just as well Wilbrod Street is a one-way street.

I realised how much we take for granted in Australia. The footpaths are generally well-maintained, and we don't have to worry about snow (except if you live in a very cold place in Australia). Not that I'm complaining about the snow here in Ottawa (it's still a novelty to me).

~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~

At Wilbrod House, we are doing a cooking challenge for Christmas Eve: Everyone has to make a dish that is not from their country/region of origin and that they have not ever made before. I decided to make a mushroom strudel (with filo/phyllo pastry) for the cooking challenge. That's why I went shopping for groceries today.

When I was walking home, it suddenly occurred to me that the herbs and vegetables that I had bought might be frostbitten by the time I get back to Wilbrod House... It is so different from Australia, where I used to take an esky to the supermarket, to make sure meat and dairy products I buy are kept cold.

Anyway, the herbs and vegetables were fine, because they were outside in the icy (-17 degrees Celsius) conditions for only a short time.

~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~

Speaking of dairy products, I am still shocked by how expensive dairy products are here in Ottawa, compared to what I can get in major cities in Australia. The two blocks of unsalted butter (454g each, or 1 lb. each) you see in the photo below cost me about CAD$10. It's the same with milk and cream. I reckon they are about twice as expensive as in Australia. It's another thing I took granted when I was in Australia -- cheap dairy products. /sigh/



As a pastry student here at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, I use a lot of butter, milk and cream in baking, and that means I have to spend quite a bit of money on ingredients when I am practising my baking at home (in Wilbrod House)... That's something to think about if you are coming to Ottawa to study at Le Cordon Bleu.

And one other thing: It could be because I am used to the dairy products in Australia, but I think the butter, milk and cream in Australia taste better (or rather, they have a stronger flavour) too.

Oh, I miss Australia!!!

Australia House in Ottawa

On my way to the local supermarket Loblaws this morning, I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos of Australia House in Ottawa (407 Wilbrod Street), which is about a block from Wilbrod House.

Australia House is the residence of the Australian High Commissioner to Canada.





I walk by Australia House almost every time I go to Loblaws for my groceries, but today was the first time I could get a good view of the house AND I had my camera with me.

It was approximately -17 degrees Celsius when I took the photos. It was like walking around in a huge freezer. :D

Just seeing the Australian flag outside Australia House made me a little homesick. I'm imagining how warm it is in Australia right now...

Snowman

This is the snowman a friend and I made yesterday outside Wilbrod House. It's the first snowman I'd ever made. Took us about 3 hours. I think it is not too bad for a first-time effort.



By the way, the housemate who made the gingerbread tree house is currently working on a new project -- an igloo in the backyard of Wilbrod House. It is work-in-progress at the moment. I helped him out when he was making the first course of snow bricks two days ago... I'll post photos when the igloo is finished, which is expected to take quite a few days.

It snowed lightly yesterday, but it is raining at the moment. Hmm... I hope the igloo and the snowman are still around by tomorrow.

Anyway, I love being outside in the snow and doing silly things like running through the thick snow or rolling around on the soft, powdery snow. It's like being a child again. :)

Many of my housemates are away on vacation, and all of them are in warmer places (e.g. the tropics). Lucky b*st*rds!!! :) The rest of us left in Wilbrod House figured we might as well enjoy the snow while we can, and have fun making snow-related things. All this time, we continue to cook and bake (trying out new recipes), of course -- a good way to keep warm after being outside in the snow. :D

"Welcome to Canada!"

That's what Chef CP said to me when I told him what I thought of the snowy weather.

The snow was indeed knee-deep this morning, when I "waded" through the powdery, soft snow in the dark at 6am to get to production kitchen.

By afternoon, the weather was sunny again. It's freezing cold (between -7 and -10 degrees Celsius), but at least it was sunny!!! :)

Here are some photos of the snow we ended up getting overnight:


A cheeky squirrel on a tree on the fenceline of LCB Ottawa. Seeing the squirrel really made my day.


View of Strathcona Park from the Cuisine Practical Kitchen


View of the neighbours from the Cuisine Practical Kitchen


View from the Student Entrance Area, LCB Ottawa


View of the Student Entrance Area from the front fence of LCB Ottawa



Front fence of LCB Ottawa


Corner of Charlotte Street and Laurier Avenue East


Charlotte Street, as you turn the corner from Laurier Avenue East


The vacant lot near Wilbrod House, which is used for dumping snow

There was traffic chaos today, because of the bus strike and the heavy snow. People had to drive/walk to work in the snow, or catch a taxi. Many of the side streets around Wilbrod House were reduced to single lanes, because there was just so much snow around, and the snow ploughs basically just push the snow to the side of the road, but that can take up part of the road.

The worse thing about this sort of weather is: The snow doesn't melt, it just hangs around, and the snow ploughs simply create a lot of "snow hills" (for want of a better expression) by the side of the roads or on the vacant part of people's gardens...

I'm just waiting for fine weather this weekend before making a snowman on the front lawn.

Winter Storm Warning (9 December 2008)

I just read the following notice issued by Environment Canada's weather office (http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/warnings/report_e.html?onrm104).

I have to say I don't really know what most of it mean or even what to expect (I'll have to find out what "freezing rain" is), because I haven't lived through an Ottawa winter before. The fact that Environment Canada issued a warning probably means it is quite a serious situation, even for the locals. I cannot imagine what 20cm of snowfall would look like...

I did walk home from production kitchen in ankle-deep snow this afternoon. And it was snowing steadily. It is an interesting sensation to have snowflakes on your eye lashes and face.

As for the storm warning, if I look on the bright side, it probably means I get to make a snowman and snow angels before Christmas. :)

The winter storm warning from Environment Canada:

Ottawa North - Kanata - Orléans
4:13 PM EST Tuesday 9 December 2008
Winter storm warning for
Ottawa North - Kanata - Orléans continued

Heavy snow followed by some freezing rain this evening then back to snow.

This is a warning that dangerous winter weather conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions.Listen for updated statements.

The storm system is currently moving across southeast Michigan and is expected to track just north of lakes Erie and Ontario this evening and just south of Ottawa overnight. Snow heavy at times is affecting regions north of the track of the low including most of ski country and eastern Ontario. Total snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 centimetres are expected in many districts before the snow begins to wind down overnight in the west or Wednesday morning in the east.

In addition..Some freezing rain is likely this evening just north of the track of the low..Where a winter storm warning is in effect. This includes portions of the Ottawa Valley and parts of far eastern Ontario. The national Capital region is now expected to be on the edge of freezing rain, but some is likely this evening before a changeover back to heavy snow. The snow will taper off Wednesday morning in Ottawa with storm totals close to 20 to 30 cm with some freezing rain as well.

Environment Canada will continue to watch this winter storm and adjust warnings as needed.

Motorists should exercise extreme caution. Dangerous winter driving conditions are expected. Untreated surfaces may be icy and very slippery especially in areas receiving heavy snow or freezing rain. Please refer to the latest public forecasts for further details.

-----------------------------------------------------

My update (10:30pm): The snow is still coming down steadily. It is just a very thick layer of snow outside on the front lawn. By the time I walk to production kitchen at 6am tomorrow morning, I bet the snow will be knee-deep.

Fortunately, it is only -7 degrees Celsius now, as opposed to -21 degrees a couple of nights ago.

Slippery and Dangerous

I slipped and fell on the Wilbrod House driveway yesterday. I was walking to the bus stop located right next to the driveway early in the morning (to catch a bus to my French language class in the city), and that's when it happened. I just felt my feet give way under me. I fell heavily on my left side, and now I have a few bruises on my left hip to show for it. Fortunately, I'm no worse for wear. I just have to learn to be more careful next time.

Because the weather has been fine, the snow from the other day melted and turned into a layer of very smooth ice at the end of the driveway leading onto Charlotte Street. It's literally like walking on wet glass (or what I imagine walking on wet glass would be like).

The locals seem to know what to do in this sort of condition - they seem to avoid the areas where the snow has turned into ice. Being a foreigner, I didn't even know what to look out for until yesterday morning. Oh well, another learning experience for me.

On a brighter note, I saw a squirrel out and about, foraging in the snow not far from Wilbrod House. It cheered me up considerably. I wondered where this squirrel was hiding when it snowed the other day ...

I'm still waiting to see the resident raccoon that my housemates tell me lives around here. My landlady hates the creature because it comes around the night before garbage collection day and rummages in the garbage, sometimes scattering garbage all over the street.

(Aside: They don't have wheelie bins here. I guess this is another thing I miss about Australia -- the ubiquitous wheelie bin.)

The Start of a Snowy Season

I woke up this morning to the sound of a snow plough going up and down the driveway. Turns out we had 4mm of snow last night. This was what it looked like at Wilbrod House.










Here in this photo, you can see it is snowing lightly outside Wilbrod House.

Earlier, I was outside shovelling snow, making snowballs, and generally enjoying the snow, because it's still a novelty to me. :)

Thank goodness the broken heater in the House was fixed ... It started to snow gently when the workmen were fixing the heating system in the boiler room in the basement last night, and there I was, desperately hoping for heating after going 5 days without heating or hot water in the House. It was enough to make me realise how hard it is to go without heating in winter. I have to say this experience made us learn not to take the mod cons for granted.

Snow in Ottawa: some photos for future reference

Here are the photos I had promised to post. I walked to LCB in the snow early this morning, and it was still snowing gently. It was such a novelty for me.


This was the backyard of Wilbrod House this afternoon. Almost 20 hours after it started snowing yesterday.



And this was the front of Wilbrod House.



This was a view of the student entrance area of LCB in early October.



The same view of the student entrance area today (late October). Lots of snow around.



This was what I saw when I came out through the student entrance area after I had completed my production kitchen shift at 2pm today.

I will post more photos as they become available.

Snow

Yes, it started snowing a few hours ago (around 5:30pm Ottawa time). This is the first time I have seen real snowfall. I sat by the dining room window and watched the snowflakes swirling around in the strong winds outside... It was mesmerising!

Anyway, the winds have eased. Now there's probably half a cm of snow on the lawn outside Wilbrod House. And it is freezing cold outside. I'm glad I bought some warm clothing and shoes two weeks ago.

I will see if I can take some pictures of the snow tomorrow.