Canada: Food!

When my hubby and I were in the Canadian Rockies last week, we ate some fantastic food. Some of it was downright primitive, like these teeny, intensely flavored wild strawberries picked right off the side of a forest trail (Grizzly bears like them, too):

Hiking in the mountains makes even the simplest food taste wonderful. Like Gorp!:

A plain ol' turkey sandwich is transformed when eaten in an alpine valley with a gorgeous view:

When in Banff, I spent my time drooling over the town's many candy shops, which offer lots of sinful things like this Caramel Corn:

And these candy and caramel apples:

And many fancifully-named mixtures of nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, and caramel:

One of our favorite places for great food was Mt. Engadine Lodge, a very small hotel tucked in a remote valley at 6,200 feet above sea level. Chef Brenda turned out dish after delectable dish, like these cheddar-cheese biscuits for breakfast:

And this cheesecake with a topping of sauteed apples and almonds, set in a pool of caramel sauce and topped with a few wild strawberries:

And the teatime! Every afternoon Mt. Engadine Lodge puts out a yummy spread of savories and sweets for afternoon tea:

One afternoon the teatime sweets included a succulent plum cake:

As well as dense, fudgy brownies and luscious lemon bars:

Oh, lordy! It was a good thing we hiked every day, or we'd have gained 10 pounds. Below was my last peek into Chef Brenda's kitchen as we left for our next beautiful lodgings. I saw a glimpse of that day's breakfast quiche, sitting next to some intriguing-looking, snap-apart rolls for that night's dinner. So hard to leave all this wonderfulness!:

But it was on to Emerald Lake Lodge, where the food is equally fabulous, but a little more chi-chi than Chef Brenda's wonderful, home-spun fare. This was breakfast one day at Emerald Lake--Banana Bread French Toast, served with Sauteed Apples, Maple Syrup, and Vanilla Sour Cream:

Across the table sizzled a plate of Elk-Cranberry Sausage, with a side of grainy French mustard served in an Endive leaf:

We hiked all day so we could sit down in the evenings to sumptuous fare like this piece of beef, perfectly cooked, buried in delicious vegetables:

Now it's back to reality and a much more Spartan menu plan. But a delicious one, nonetheless. Stay tuned for news of our End-of-Summer Feast!