Having La Fête

Lets talk of Montreal today...
to celebrate the National Holiday of Quebec.

Oh Genevieve, St. Genevieve

Today is Saint Genevieve's Day,
and she's the Patron Saint of Paris...
...because my pop-up calendar told me so.

The only time I heard about her was in Camelot:


In 'The Simple Joys of Maidenhood',
with those pure & innocent lyrics:

St. Genevieve! St. Genevieve!
It's Guenevere, remember me?

St. Genevieve! St. Genevieve!
I'm over here beneath this tree
You know how faithful and devout I am
You must admit I've always been a lamb
But, Genevieve, St. Genevieve

I won't obey you any more
You've gone a bit too far
I won't be bid and bargain'd for
Like beads in a bazaar

St. Genevieve, I've run away
Eluded them and fled
And from now on I intend to pray
To someone else instead!

Oh, Genevieve, St. Genevieve
Where were you when my youth was sold?
Dear Genevieve, sweet Genevieve
Shan't I be young before I'm old?

Where are the simple joys of maidenhood?
Where are all those adoring, daring boys?
Where's the knight pining so for me
He leaps to death in woe for me?
Oh, where are a maiden's simple joys?

Shan't I have the normal life a maiden should?
Shall I never be rescued in the wood?
Shall two knights never tilt for me
And let their blood be spilt for me?
Oh, where are the simple joys of maidenhood?

Shall I not be on a pedestal
Worshipped and competed for?
Not be carried off, or better st'll
Cause a little war?

Where are the simple joys of maidenhood?
Are those sweet, gentle pleasures gone for good?

Shall a feud not begin for me?
Shall kith not kill their kin for me?
Oh, where are the trivial joys
Harmless, convivial joys
Where are the simple joys of maidenhood?

LOL - Where indeed?

Luckily St. G.'s also the Patron Saint Against Disaster.

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FYI: for you Harry Potter fans, you'll be thrilled to know that her dad was the original 'Severus'.

Oh Catsup Cake

Oh to be a Canadian today...

PRESS RELEASE: ''To commemorate its Canadian centennial and thank Canadians for 100 years of support, Heinz has created The Great Canadian Heinz Ketchup Cake.''

Still don't believe? Here's the recipe:
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each, nutmeg and ginger
1/2 cup (125 mL) Heinz Tomato Ketchup
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
2 tbsp (30 mL) red food colouring
3/4 cup (175 mL) Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) dark brown sugar, packed
2 Eggs

FROSTING:
6 oz (175 g) solid cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (175 mL) Butter, softened
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
4 cups (1 L) Icing 'powdered' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease two, 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Stir flour, b powder, cinnamon, b soda, nutmeg and ginger in bowl.
Stir ketchup, water and colouring in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in large bowl til smooth. Add in eggs. Add the flour mix and ketchup mixture. Beat on low, til combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 1 minute.

Bake 30 min, or til centre springs back when touched lightly.

Cool cake 15 min before turning onto rack to cool.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium for 2 min. Gradually beat in the sugar on low, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat on high until fluffy.

---

Because if there's anything that grows well in Canada its a -tomato-?
*thankfully the frosting is tomato-free.

link in new window: Ketchup Cake.

Blame Canada

Didja look in the mirror and see a Canadian, eh?

From the WSJ: Canada Issues a Wake-Up Call...

Thanks to a new law, Canada will bestow citizenship Friday on what its government believes could be hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting foreigners, most of them Americans...

So, U.S. actress Laurel Holloman, among many other Americans with Canadian relatives, may have become an ice-maiden herself this week. How odd. But it may bring her (and many others) a chance to work in Canada without having to jump through hoops to do it.
Hey, not bad there, eh?


See above, the Canadian government's video about it.