As someone born in the early part of fall I’ve always had a soft spot for the transitional months between summer and winter.  The mosquitos disappear, gardens are harvested, and there’s this interesting transition in the landscape when hidden things are unveiled as  the clutter of leaves depart.

Jumpin’ Pumpkins

For the last two summers we’ve had a little pumpkin patch in the yard where these orange beauties get loads of sun and have plenty of room to stretch themselves out. This past summer we witnessed our first ever pumpkin theft by a black bear, but otherwise the pumpkins are generally left alone to get big and bigger as the summer wears on. These five pumpkins were designed by a fairy-band of children under the ages of nine – with only a little bit of help from a knife wielding adult.  I find it hard to pick a favourite amongst them, though the understated one that is second from the left has a deceptive simplicity to it.

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Nursing Instructors Tom Harrigan and Jackie Santiago being awarded the Chili Cup by RRC President Stephanie Forsyth

This years winners of the Third Annual Chili Cup are Nursing instructors Tom Harrigan and Jackie Santiago (Team Caliente) who wowed the critics with their blend of a “traditional hearty chili with the heat of India and Mexico infused”. Congratulations! If you missed out on their chow, head to the Voyaguer caferia this Wednesday for a Chili Day in November – where their chili (or something close to it) will be served for $3.99 with a bun.  A drop off bin for the SA Food Bank will also be there – so bring a tin for the bin

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The cold weather is now upon us and this is the season for colds. We’ve all heard that washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to stave off a cold in the first place. But what if you did everything right and still ended up with a cold? You feel miserable with all the coughing and nose blowing.  Your chest hurts and you feel like the cold will hang on forever. That’s how I usually feel when I get a cold but fortunately, I have not had one for this year … yet.

About a decade ago, I had a very bad cold and after 5 weeks of coughing which seemed to get worse at night, my father finally told me to do what I used to do as a child (or what my parents used to make me do as a child). He reminded me of the tea that we drank when we had a cold (mostly because medical care was prohibitive and many elders relied on herbal remedies which always worked). Here is the all-natural recipe and here is why it works:

•  1 cup hot (not boiling) water
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ¼ – ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. honey

Put the hot water in a mug, preferably a thermos type. Add the other ingredients and blend until everything is dissolved. Drink this mixture throughout the day for as long as you are still coughing. You’ll start noticing that when you blow your nose or cough, there will be a lot of mucous (I know… this sounds gross) but try to blow your nose or cough it out. Within a few days, you should start noticing a significant difference in the severity of your cough.

Turmeric: there are numerous health benefits including its anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. It helps to alleviate the pain in your chest.

Ginger: Also helps to relieve pain and inflammation especially in the chest.

Black pepper: Eating/drinking this will help clear up your nasal passages (sometimes a nuisance but it gets rid of the cold)

Honey: Soothes your throat which is probably raw from all the coughing; anti-bacterial boosts your immune system

I have shared this recipe with many family and friends and it really does work. Since it is all natural, there are no side effects. Try it and if it works, pass it on to someone who may benefit.

It’s that time again. The third annual Chili Cup is today (November 14th) at noon in the Selkirk Lounge (NDC Campus).

There are nine competitors vying for this year’s prize in the Culinary Smack Down of the year.

• Tammy Kowerko is back to defend her title, with Tammy’s Smack Down Chili with Attitude. Chef Tammy describes her chili as a sensational blend of color, flavor, & wholesome goodness. At its absolute best the hint of heat explosion will leave you craving for so much more.
• Louise Cure and her Civil Engineering Technology colleagues are making Chile Auténtico in memory of their colleague Gary Giesbrecht who recently passed away. Gary participated in each of the previous Chili Cups, and is greatly missed by those who knew and worked with him.
• Guy Dugas and his Applied Chili Education (ACE) team will be making the Chilitarian Capsheaf –A subtle occidental blend of oriental aromatic herbs, spices, and surprise sweet and savoury ingredients that will leave you exclaiming, “Is this legal?”
• The RRC Students’ Association and their team SA’ll Good is back (with an attitude) serving up their Redneck Chili. Enjoy our legendary chili, filled with lean ground beef, finely chopped green sweet pepper, and hot sauce to kick it up a notch.
• The Lifers are out on a day pass, serving up their chili Be’an Surprised a delectable sweet heat of chili awesomeness.
• Big Bubba and the Chilitas are cooking up Big Bubba’s Chili which is guaranteed to cleanse the competition (as well as congested nasal passages)
• Los Scorpiones is back with Bite of the Scorpion – Our non-traditional looking chili is deceptively innocent in its appearance but with that first taste, you’ll feel like you are in a tropical paradise and feeling the bite of the scorpion!
• Team Caliente is serving the deceptive BRS chili (???) – a blend of traditional hearty chili with the heat of India and Mexico infused.
• And finally, the Mysterious Dr. Inferno is back again with his vegetarian Chili – Make Lava, Not War.  Peace out, and pass the beans.

There you have it – nine fantastic chilis for the low prices of $3 for a sample of each – all proceeds from the event go to the Students’ Association Food Bank – just in time for the holidays! The room gets packed in a hurry – so come out a bit before noon to ensure you can participate.

And if Green Chili is your thing – bring your own “bowl and spoon” and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Prairie Lights! Think sustainability + Help us cut Waste!

The winning Chili will be served in the Voyageur Cafeteria the following week (21st), in an event we call a Chili Day in November.

Since our Chili cup event is coming up, I decided to collect some tips on how to enhance your chili experience at home.

1. If you chili is too thick, don’t use water to think it out.  Use broth instead.  Water deludes the flavors but the broth add to the flavors.

2.  If your chili is too thin, you could add some tomato paste to thicken it.  If this doens’t work, the next step is to add corn starch or corn meal.

3.  Most folks use green jalapenos which are sold at the grocery store to give the chili its hotness.  Apparently, there are many types of chiles with different names like: Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano, Santa Fe Chiles, etc.  Basically, we can experiment and have fun with the whole process by trying different chiles.  It is possible to use a combination of chiles as well.

4.  The first step we take is to cook the meat.  You need to brown the meat before you add the liquids to the recipe.

5.  The better the quality of the meat, the better the chili.  If you get meat that is less tender, make sure you cook the meat longer to soften it up and consider using a meat tenderizer.

6.  Use fresh vegetables, not canned.  There is a major difference.  (This makes sense!)

7.  Cook the chili the day before you plan to eat it.  This way you give all the flavors in your chili time to blend. If you don’t have enough time to cook it the night before, prepare it in the morning and let it simmer all day.

8.  Use your own mix of spices, herbs and chiles  instead of using a prepackages mix.  Prepackaged mixes have a lot of salt and preservatives which can change the taste of the chili.  The batch of chili spices you make can be stored in your freezer for up to one year.

9.  Don’t use old spices for your chili (or for any other cooking….for that matter).  If you happen to have old spices, make sure they have been on the shelf for less than a year.  After one year, spices loose flavor.

10.  Have fun!  Making chili takes time, but it can be a lot of fun as well.

It’s that time again. The third annual Chili Cup is set for November 14^th. If you’ve missed the first two competitions, here’s what’s going down at the Culinary Smack Down of the year.

If you want the chance to have your name engraved on the Chili Cup you need to register online.  Chefs will cook up a Mega Crock Pot worth of Chili that they will take to the Selkirk Lounge (NDC) for the cook off.

If you don’t want to compete, you can come and sample all the chilis and vote for your favourite. It costs $3 to come as a taster with all proceeds from the event going to the Students’ Association Food Bank – just in time for the holidays!

If you don’t work at the Notre Dame Campus, you’re still eligible to take part – or to host another cook-off at your own campus. Talk to your manager or leave a reply to this post if you’re in that boat.

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James Slade (1st), Derek Kochenash (2nd), Jason McMaster (3rd)

The first annual Red River Fun Run has come and gone, and there were many winners.

James Slade displaying the winning time.

The fastest runner of the day was James Slade who completed the race in a time of 25:44 over the 5.8 km distance.  James also helped out immensely organizing the race, and did well to nab one of the randomly drawn prizes, a $25 gift certificate for the Prairie Lights.Filling out the podium were race winners Derek Kochenash and Jason McMaster. Derek and Jason are both part of the RRC Run Club which started up in the summer and regularly had 5-20 staff members out walking or running every Wednesday.

So while we’re at it, let’s throw a bouquet to Run Club members like Sara MacArthur, Judy McMullen, Laurie Musick, Chau Le, Michael Whalen, Dayna Graham, Margarita Rowley, and Alison Ivey who got it all going in the summer.  Some of the other regulars like Jackie Wood wanted to run, but work got in the way this day.

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The Red River Fun Run is set to kick off on Wednesday (Oct 10^th) at noon at the bus loop  on the NDC campus. If you want to see the expertly mapped route, courtesy of instructors James Slade and Michael Whalen, check this out.

One circuit is 2.9km.  The full race is 2 times around (5.8 km) for runners and one loop for walkers. Of course, you can opt to run once around if that’s what you’re up for (if you want to round off, this is like a mini-marathon…though a bit shorter in distance).  The course has been marked with stakes that have orange flagging tape on them, making it a bit less likely for you to get lost / confused/ run the wrong way.

Next year, we’ll plan this race for September when it might be warmer…but this year, we’ll have to brave the elements.  There will be some random prize draws for participants. The SA has donated 2 student prizes, and the Wellness Committee has some prizes for staff. To be eligible for a prize please register for the race online.

In anticipation of next week’s First Annual Red River College Fun Run, we asked several regular RRC runners to recollect their own best and worst races.  If you are interested in taking part in the Fun Run,  the race will be held on October 10th (noon start) at the bus loop on the Notre Dame Campus. Click here to register.

James Slade – Instructor

Best race: No question, Boston Marathon, 2008 where I had to run with one contact lens missing (lost it in the pool the night before) in the blazing sun (who the heck thinks of sunscreen in April???) and desperate for a port-a-potty (yup…me and the other 25,000 runners…get in line).  What was it that made it the best?  The crowd was the absolute best!  I was at least a km away from Wellesley College and thought I could hear water running, then about 500m away I realized it was not a waterfall, but the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel!  You get through that, you go on another 17 km or so and enter the city proper to more screaming fans, on both sides of the road, and by the end of that stretch, my ears were ringing!  You simply cannot quit amidst all that support.

Worst race:  So many it’s hard to pick just one, y’ know?  Was it the torn hamstring that went ‘pop!’ at km 4 of the 10 k that slowed me to a snail’s pace, looking for ice at the finish line to discover NO first aid facilities whatsoever?  Or was it the race I showed up late for…so late when I arrived, everyone else was finishing? (just screwed the time up, no one to blame but me).  I could go with, not a race but rather, my first really long run starting my marathon training that was all of 6 km, and hurt so bad I had to walk down stairs backwards for the next two days!  Here I am still running and still looking for more ‘worsts’!  In the grand scheme of things, I always figure that if this is the worst thing in my life right now, then life’s pretty good!

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Some of us like our chocolate very much.  Who said that chocolate recipes can’t be healthy? Apparently, chocolate doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Here are some recipes I found. I hope you like them!