Two new “firsts”

Last Saturday we went to our first ever MLS (Major League Soccer) game.  The Montreal Impact (I like that name!) played the New England Revolution.  Our team was on a losing streak so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  We took the metro to the stadium and it was fun to see all the people getting on – wearing their Blue and Black jerseys and caps.  Fortunately I had switched from my “Canadian flag red” colored shirt to a more appropriate blue one.  On our way to the stadium, we wandered through a small gathering, kind of a mini-Medieval festival with lots of people dressed up in costumes.  One person was playing a "harpsitar" type of electric instrument I had not seen before.  If I had known about this event, I would have gotten there earlier and spent more time wandering through the booths and checking it out.  But we were on a mission to get to the game.    

The weather was beautiful, our seats were great – and the Impact won – 

4-2!   We could actually see the players on the field although I have to admit that sometimes it was hard to tell if the ball went in the net or behind it on a couple of the plays.  No worries – the big screen replay helped... not to mention the reaction from the crowd J  For the rest of the day I had the chant "Allez, allez, allez, allez allez Montreal Montreal" (Go, go, go, go go Montreal Montreal!) playing in my head.  

My other “first” was baking a Canadian dessert called Nanaimo bars. 

These are named after the city of Nanaimo located on Vancouver Island.  I made a batch of these to take to a fundraiser – which was a good thing – otherwise I could have eaten them all myself.  They are a super sweet 3 layered no bake concoction with a chocolate-coconut crumb base, a custard flavored butter icing in the middle and a chocolate ganache on the top.   The earliest confirmed printed copy is in Edith Adam’s prize cookbook, from 1953.  That’s even older than me!)  You can see the cookbook on display at the Nanaimo museum next time you are in British Columbia – but I suggest you come to Montreal before you go there.  Apparently this dessert has been called other names, from even earlier dates, but this seems to be the current trend. 

One room at a time, we are getting settled in. The guest room/office is now open for reservations.  Just let me know if you ever in the neighbourhood!