Our chickens have been laying a few more eggs than we can use, so it was time to pickle a few. This recipe works in the winter, and in the summer. I like to add fresh dill from the garden. If your pickling spice has cloves it will turn the brine tea coloured, and that is fine. If you want a clear brine, then you will have to pick the cloves out of the pickling spice. To hard boil eggs, place your eggs in a pot and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the e

Whenever it’s cold outside it’s a good time to turn on the oven and do some baking. This banana bread recipe is a good way to use up some over ripe bananas. If you have over ripe bananas and no time to use them up, you can pop them into the freezer, peel and all, to be used later for loafs and muffins. This is a well tested recipe that makes great banana loafs every time. This recipe is high in fiber, and is mostly sweetened naturally with dates and bananas. Dates, oat bran a

Here is a cabbage salad that uses healthy ingredients in the dressing, instead of salad dressing and mayonnaise made with industrial seed oils. Olive oil is rich in monosaturated fat, which helps to reduce inflammation. Olive oil contains omega 9’s, vitamins E, K & A plus additional anti-oxidants. Olive oil is an important part of the Mediterranean diet, that helps to prevent heart disease and stroke. Studies of the Mediterranean diet, which is high in olive oil, show a 40 p

The Health and Wellness Symposium Speakers From left, Kerri Lorenson, Mike Cameron, and Chris Ekelson. Photo Sonya Lee On February 4, 2026, the Vermilion Regional Centre was filled with conversation, reflection, and a shared commitment to mental wellness as community members gathered for the tenth annual Vermilion Mental Health & Wellness Symposium. Running from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the full-day event welcomed participants from across the region for a meaningful exploratio

I laced up a pair of skates at a very young age and always enjoyed skating. I especially loved skating on our slough or even on the river when I was young with our neighbours. We cleared a lot of ice in those days. In school Phys. Ed. we had skating at our local arena. I never did play hockey but eight of my brothers and sisters took to the ice, learning the game’s language through swift passes, slap shots, the odd fight and the relentless pursuit of victory. Sometimes I t

Sometimes we get so used to the flavour of a food, made with processed ingredients, that it is hard to make changes to healthier ingredients, because we expect a certain taste. I wanted to eliminate salad dressing and mayonnaise from devilled eggs, so I began experimenting. I tried using Greek yogurt, but the flavour was not right, however this recipe using sour cream is perfect, and it uses all whole and natural foods for the health win. To hard boil eggs, place your eggs

Swat Maps rink Skip Kellen Snelgrove 3rd Morley Sinclair 2nd Jason Westmans and 1st Blake Snelgrove. 3rd place Mel Reid rink jackets sponsored by UFA Skip Mel Reid 3rd Jason McPhee 2nd Peter Wilkinson and 1st David Bates. 4th place jackets sponsored by Branded Western wear Tim DeRoo rink Skip Tim DeRoo 3rd Ryan Smith 2nd Adela Teasdale and 1st Debra DeRoo. 2nd place Doug Mccrae rink Skip Doug McCrae 3rd Wayne Hemauer 2nd Mike Chase and 1st Haden Martin. The Vermilion Curling

Cajan cooking is from the Louisiana area, and developed from a mix of the Acadians, Native Americans, Spanish and West African cuisine. The Acadians ended up in Louisiana when the British deported them from Canada starting in 1755. At that time France was ruled by King Louis XV, but the French had already claimed a piece of the United States, and called it Louisiana for King Louis XIV, thus Louisiana is named after King Louis of France. The Cajun style of cooking emerged out

This is a moist old-fashioned cake that is full of goodness. If you are going to enjoy baking, its always better home made. When it’s really cold outside, it’s so nice to turn on the oven and do some baking. Apples contain malic acid and tartaric acid which is known to help cleanse the liver of toxins, and pectin which also aids in the removal of toxins from our bodies. One apple supplies 30 percent of the daily recommend amount of fiber. Apples are shown to help regulate blo

I enjoy all types of music. When a song captures my attention, I like to research the story behind the song. The song “the Highwayman” is an intriguing example of somebody’s unique imagination. It is a song about reincarnation written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. According to Wikipedia he got the influence to write the lyrics after dreaming that he was a Highwayman on the run from the law. (If you read his account, it was more like a nightmare rather than a dream

The remaining of my garden tomatoes are ripening, a lot all at the same time. Late fall, we picked all of our garden tomatoes, before the frost, many of them green, and spread them out in cardboard boxes in our garage, which is mildly heated. Without a heated garage, they need to be spread out on a low cardboard box, to allow them to ripen. This recipe is a keeper, which creates a salsa with that classic salsa taste. Salsa– Canned – makes 5 pints 8 cups of tomatoes, peeled a

I remember my dad, who was born in 1935 tell me that growing up as a kid, he ate his morning oatmeal with molasses, not necessarily by choice, but that was the sweetener that was available to him in those days. It wouldn’t be my sweetener of choice, until I learned that is has so many amazing health benefits. I love molasses in gingerbread, ginger cookies, and baked beans but recent research will be elevating it far beyond the characteristic flavor found in fall and Christmas

This cookie is a twist on my standard peanut butter cookie recipe. Interestingly, peanut butter has many health benefits. It is a very good source of antioxidants. The mono-saturated fat in peanut butter includes oleic acid, the kind found in olive oil, that has been found to be Mediterranean diet heart healthy . Peanuts are also a source of resveratrol. Resveratrol is the beneficial substance found in red wine. In the nurses’ health study, which involved 86,000 women

Breakfast cookies are easy to make, and perfect for busy days on the go, or to pack for lunches. They are filled with healthy ingredients, plus they are gluten and dairy free. Almost every ingredient is filled with health benefits. There is fiber from several different sources. These cookies are a good way to use up an over ripe banana. The banana is a good source of important minerals like magnesium and potassium. Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar, and support healthy insul

Coconut cream pie is a favourite that is really easy to make from scratch. When making a Coconut Cream pie, you can use a variety of pie crusts, graham wafer, coconut or pastry. When you make your own filling and pie crust you are eliminating all the chemicals found in the boxed coconut pudding mix and all the unhealthy fats found in commercial pie crusts. If you are using a premade, frozen pastry pie crust, be sure to look for the ones that are made with lard, instead of veg

Thanksgiving is this weekend, plus October is pumpkin everything month. Pumpkin Pie, has to be my very favourite October treat, although I love a good turkey dinner for thanksgiving as well. Speaking of Thanksgiving, it turns out that being thankful, provides all sorts of health benefits, and plus being happy, laughing and joyful is also a health booster that kicks our immune system into high gear. I feel like I need to buy a good joke book. This thanksgiving I wish your lots

With the warm weather late in the summer, the tomatoes are ripening on the vine. Last year I froze the tomatoes, by placing ripe, washed,...

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