Hey 2DAers,
We are back for another monthly R.E.P.O.R.T, where we share everything we are Reading, Eating, Playing, Obsessing, Recommending, and Treating.
Reading
This month we are reading Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.
Writing this summary as the Middle East is in turmoil, this book seems quite fitting. Time and time again, we can see parallels as history repeats itself.
Elif Shafak has written a story of a fig tree, growing in a taverna on the island of Cyprus. The story is fiction, but inspired by the horrible history of Cyprus in the 1970’s. The island became a battleground between two prominent ethnic communities: Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
The tree sees all. Young love, heartache, and war. Now, I was going to put this book down when the tree started talking but I didn’t give up and I’m glad I didn’t. The tree added a magical element and also brought my attention to what happens to flora and fauna during war.
The characters are all really great, with Shafak doing an excellent job at storytelling. It is a powerful and moving novel with so many themes. Human relationships, the power of family, history, nature, loss and forgiveness.
Shafek dedicated this book ‘to immigrants and exiles everywhere, the uprooted, the re-rooted, the rootless, and to the trees we left behind, rooted in our memories.’ What a perfect way to describe this novel. I highly recommend it.
Eating
We were reading, feet up, our fav local mag, In the Hills, and stumbled across an article about a past winner of the Creemore Apple Pie contest... so we had to try it of course.
We can see why Karen Scully's great-grandmother's recipe for Dutch Apple Pie was a winner. Baked for Thanksgiving this year, it was by far the best apple pie we have made (not to mention easy). The recipe, extracted from the article is as follows;
Dutch Apple Pie, from In the Hills
This is a single-crust pie.
Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie shell
5 to 6 small McIntosh or Spy apples peeled, cored and cut in eighths.
Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup 35% cream
1 tbsp butter
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Arrange apple wedges in a circular pattern in the unbaked pie shell.
Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in cream. Spoon this mixture over the apples, trying to get some of the sauce on all the apples. Dot the top with butter.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes. McIntosh will bake for 60 minutes and Spy apples need 75 minutes.
We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!
Playing
Lately, we've had a lot of demand for children's things (i.e. clothes, toys etc...) although we are not expanding quite yet, we did just receive a package that will fit the bill. Cue: dachshund in a bag. This is the perfect gift for that little one in your life. Carrying your fur baby around is very on-trend!
Obsessing
We are obsessing over the fact that our bi-annual barn market is a month away!! This is our most favourite event of the year. Originally inspired by our favourite One Of a Kind Show in Toronto which the 2DAs attended every year without fail, we wanted to host an event of our own. When we renovated our barn we wanted to bring the magical feel of our space to life, and so we did. For the past 3 winters, we have hosted a barn market with over 23 vendors in preparation for the holiday season. We have curated the perfect mix of vendors, so your holiday shopping will be a breeze!
We have worked closely with My Friends House Collingwood, to support abused women in the area. Over the years our 2DA Markets have raised around $8600 for the charity. Continuing with our fundraising efforts this holiday season, we hope to reach the $10,000 mark with your help!
If you have come to our farm previously, we can’t wait to welcome you back. If this is your first 2DA Market, welcome.
Recommending
This one is slightly biased... Tessa is studying at McGill in Montreal and Laurie is a native, so we are obviously recommending a trip to Montreal this fall.
Here are some restaurant recommendations:
1. Stem Bar
For wine lovers and fresh food lovers alike, this restaurant is not to miss in MTL. Constantly updated menu offering only the freshest dishes with traditional Quebecois flavours. Their extensive wine list and fabulous service is something to remember. Also, if you are in the area earlier in the day be sure to check out their sister resto- September Surf (get the pancakes... you will not regret it).
A traditional Italian restaurant close to downtown MTL, the vibes are high here and you will not leave hungry. Expect a cool crowd, yummy cocktails and insanely delicious food. Note: on Sunday nights they offer a fixed 4-4-course menu.
If you are looking for an unforgettable brunch in MTL, don't miss Lemeac's amazing selection on weekends. Try the classic Quebecois breakfast; Poached eggs, sausages, bacon, fingerlings and baked beans with duck confit, thank us later.
Stay: Hyatt Centric Montreal
Read to the bottom for a discount code!
There’s history around every corner in Montreal, and this new hotel is no exception. Built adjacent to the turn-of-the-century site of the first railway station in Canada, this sophisticated boutique hotel sits in the charming Parisian-style quarter of Old Montreal—nestled between the city’s banking district and harbour. It is a walk-friendly site that puts you steps away from the waterfront, dining, shopping, nightlife, Old Port cultural destinations, downtown Montreal and more.
BONUS! Book a stay and use discount code EVENT. Just select your dates, then special rates, and select special offer code. (It helps to have family in the business) :))
"Organized by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, this major touring exhibition is the most comprehensive survey ever devoted to the groundbreaking artist Marisol (1930-2016).
Marisol was born in Paris to Venezuelan parents and spent her youth between Caracas, New York and Los Angeles. She attended the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris before settling in New York in the early 1950s, studying with Hans Hofmann and developing her interest in sculpture. Her early work is strongly influenced by Abstract Expressionist painting and the pre-Columbian art she discovered on exhibition in New York and on travels to Mexico. Her striking life-size totemic figures consist of mixed-media assemblages combining wood with drawing, painting and found objects in a style that is sometimes quizzical or satirical. Many of them depict the role of women in society" by Marisol, A Retrospective
Treating
Ourselves to a massage at the Creemore Apothecary by Natalie Foote, and shockingly she has no relation to us! Her massages are spectacular- we may or may not have treated ourselves to this one more than once... Could not recommend her more!
We hope you enjoyed our monthly R.E.P.O.R.T! What are you REPORTing this month?
xx the 2DAs
Love the Montreal recommendations
since I am going now often to visit my nephew at McGill
What fabulous ideas!