Thursday, January 26, 2012

Test Yourself Challenge

Beginning January 2012, Alison (Crossman) Davidson ('94) will be running ten 10k races in 10 months for a total of 100k in an effort to raise $100k. These funds will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s CIBC Run for the Cure which is September 30th 2012.

To help, you can buy a t-shirt or maybe two or three. All net profit will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. "You’ll look super hot and smart all while supporting breast cancer research. You’ll also be letting people know that you’re testing yourself and you expect others to do the same!"

Beginning in April you will also be able to donate directly to her once the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s website is up and running for the 2012 Run for the Cure. A donation button will be added at that time.

For more information, visit: http://testyourselfchallenge.com/
Or follow Alison's Twitter feed: @ten10kchallenge

GOOD LUCK, Alison!!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Former Mount Allison Archivist Writes Book

From the open-air ice surfaces of the marsh and the ponds to the excitement of the town's first-ever built wooden rink, to the pure enjoyment of costumed carnivals and school sports events, skating has a fascinating history in the Sackville community.

And that history is brought to life in former Mount Allison Archivist Donna Sullivan's new book, Skating on Steel-Shod Feet: Rinks and Skating in Sackville, New Brunswick.

With dozens of illustrations and photos, as well as countless newspaper accounts and plenty of personal stories from local residents, Sullivan has pulled together detailed descriptions of the rinks and highlights of the many and varied skating activities that took place in those buildings over the years.

Sullivan says the idea for writing the book has been a concept that has been brewing for nearly 30 years, ever since the day she first saw a photograph of the earliest enclosed skating rink in Sackville - as she found out later, the structure was the Tantramar rink which was built in 1876.

In 1998, she wrote a brief sketch on the history of rinks in the area but she was too busy at the time to go much farther with it. But her interest in the subject had certainly been piqued, and others were also becoming more curious about when and how skating had got its start in the area and how it has evolved over the years.

When she retired six years ago, she planned to do just that.

It wasn't until about two years ago when Sullivan says she finally made up her mind to take on the momentous task of finishing the research. Having lived in Sackville most of her life, and having worked as an archivist at the university for nearly 30 years, was definitely an advantage, she admits.

She believes that anyone who has ever been skating - whether it's through hockey, figure skating, or simply playing on the pond - has stories to tell about "what it's like to be on blades, and on the ice; it can be very exciting and thrilling."

Sullivan has dedicated her book to members of both the Sackville Citizens Band and the Sackville Fire Department who, for over a century, have served the citizens of their community, "going well beyond their roles as bandsmen and firemen at the Sackville rinks."

Read full story: History of skating in Sackville brought to life (Sackville Tribune Post)

Monday, January 2, 2012

Helping train Haitian doctors

Moncton native Dr. Henri Lanctin ('76) is helping change lives in Haiti. Henri, a urologist, is part of a group training Haitian doctors in modern surgical techniques, teaching them how to perform surgeries that will make a huge difference in the quality of life for many.

He graduated from Moncton High School in 1972, then did his undergraduate degree at Mount Allison. From there he went on to do a Master's in biochemistry at Memorial University, medical school at Dalhousie University, and an internship in Victoria, B.C. at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. He did his urology training at University of Ottawa, then practised in Kentville, N.S. for four years before moving to the U.S.

He and his wife have been living in Minnesota for the past 13 years, but his mother and one of his sisters still call Moncton home. In the last year, he has started a urology program in Haiti at the Hôpital Biénfaisance de Pignon and has joined Project Haiti as its vice-president.

Instead of simply performing surgeries for those who need them, Henri and his colleagues use cases to teach Haitian doctors new surgical techniques they can use to treat the patients themselves. A first teaching session focused on a condition in women called vesico-vaginal fistulas, a common condition in the developing world that occurs during child birth.

Haitian physicians are very open to working with them. The 2010 earthquake had a huge impact on medical services in Haiti. A number of physicians were killed, others lost their facilities, and the medical school as well as the medical school hospital were destroyed. He says they are planning to rebuild the medical school hospital, but that will take a few years, making the facility in Pignon even more important.

Read full story: Moncton native lends surgical skills to Haiti (Moncton Times & Transcript)

Friday, November 18, 2011

Fall 2011 Record Online


The Fall 2011 issue of the Record is not online! Alums featured in this issue:
  • Deborah Colvin ('77)
  • Richard Smit ('97)
  • Amy Rowat ('98, '99)
  • Kevin MacDonald ('75)
  • and a tribute to Wallace McCain ('52)

Happy reading: http://alumni.mta.ca/therecord/

Monday, November 7, 2011

Chicken Grenades wins big!

In January of this year, John Grass ('84) was watching the Food Network, like he usually does, when he saw a commercial for a show called Recipe to Riches. They were calling for viewers who thought they had a $250,000 recipe, and Grass immediately thought of the chicken dish he invented, which he now calls chicken grenades.

John played football at Mount Allison - on the team that went to the Vanier Cup in 1984. He and his wife, Lynn, a nurse, run a home for the elderly. His daughter, Sarah, is in her fourth year at the University of New Brunswick studying nursing and his son Ben ('15) is in his first year at Mount A studying science.

He is by no means a professional chef. He is just a regular guy who loves to cook, has a knack for it and likes to try new things in the kitchen. On a whim he filled out the online application and forgot about it.

He forgot about the contest for all of an hour when the phone rang. It was representatives from the Food Network asking him to bring his recipe to the audition in Halifax in February. The judges liked what they saw and tasted, and handed Grass a golden ticket and a contract of secrecy, he said. There were seven categories which three contestants were selected for: puddings and pies, cakes, savoury pies, sweet and savoury snacks, frozen treats, entrées and Grass' category, appetizers.

All the contestants were flown to Toronto to tape the show, and winners in each category were selected. That just so happened to include John and his chicken grenades, which won him $25,000 and the chance for his item to be sold in stores, through President's Choice.

Again, he was sworn to secrecy. He didn't even tell his wife he'd won, he said. The show was taped in March, and aired Wednesday on the Food Network. So he kept it a secret for over eight months.

After all seven category winners are selected, Canadians can vote online at www.recipetoriches.ca for the best recipe among them all. The grand prize winner will take home $250,000. Voting will begin on Dec. 7 and end on Dec. 9.

His chicken grenades are made with bacon, wrapped around a piece of seasoned chicken breast filled with shredded pizza mozzarella and Monterrey jack cheeses and jalapeño peppers, glazed with apple pepper jelly and dusted with barbecue dry rub spice. They are available at Atlantic SuperStore, Atlantic SuperValue, and SaveEasy.

Read full story: N.B. man's grenade recipe earned riches (Telegraph-Journal)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Cartoonist featured at the A.V. Club

A casual webcomics hobbyist who earned such a devoted following that she wound up moving from her native Canada to New York to go into cartooning full time, Kate Beaton ('05) covers a broad range of topics in her strips, from Canadian historical figures and stereotypes to the adventures of a fat, oblivious Shetland pony that’s somehow gained a reputation as a warrior and an assassin.

She started showing the Internet her work in 2007, following no particular schedule, just posting sketches and cartoons on her website as the mood took her. But the unpredictability of her topics and her quirky, casual method of addressing them quickly earned her a hugely positive reputation, and her surprise success led her to find a name for her strip, create an online store to promote it, and produce print anthologies, starting with 2010’s Never Learn Anything From History.

Drawn And Quarterly recently released a follow-up titled after the strip: Hark! A Vagrant. To mark the book’s release, The A.V. Club called her at her Brooklyn studio to discuss why she doesn’t address contemporary politics, why writing is about rewriting, and why she regrets offhandedly becoming a poster child for feminist cartooning.

Read the A.V. Club interview

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Original recipes from the kitchen and lab of Amy Rowat


See Amy Rowat’s (’98, ’99) feature story about her cutting-edge research, and culinary efforts, at UCLA in the Fall 2011 Record (available in November).


Homemade Ricotta Cheese


Ingredients:
• 8 cups whole milk
• 2 cups reduced-fat (2%) buttermilk
• Salt (to taste)

Place cheesecloth in a colander, leaving excess over the sides; place this in a large bowl. Place milk and buttermilk in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Attach thermometer (deep-fry or candy) to side of pot. Place pot over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture, resisting the temptation to stir. Be sure not to boil but instead gently heat. Around 175F you will see curds begin to form, these will separate from the whey. Continue to heat without stirring until 190F; turn off heat and let the mixture sit for 5-10 min. With a large, slotted spoon, gently transfer the curds to the cheesecloth-lined colander. Let cool, then place in fridge. Can be served anywhere from 15-30 min to the next day or two after. If serving immediately, press the cheese gently in the cloth to remove excess liquid. Add salt to taste.

* Can be used in Amy’s recipe for pizza with ricotta, prosciutto, grilled peaches, and rucola as seen in the Fall 2011 Record


Slow Roasted Urfa-Chili Pork


Pork butt is meat from the pig’s shoulder, which is where multiple muscles are attached to each other. There is also plenty of intermingling fat and connective tissue, which connects muscle to bone. Slow roasting the pork butt at a low temperature for a long period of time helps to melt the proteins of the connective tissue, and results in tender and juicy meat. This delectable dish can be enjoyed with the accompanying garlicky green sauce, grilled peaches, crispy-fried kale, and roasted baby potatoes. Roasted sweet potato wedges are great too. I also love this recipe since it is super easy to make, and economical too! You can begin to roast the meat in the evening and continue the slow roasting throughout the night, so the dish prepares itself while you sleep. The pork is very popular among dinner party guests, and leftovers make excellent sandwiches.

Ingredients
• 3-lb pork butt
• 2 tbsp urfa chili
• 2 tbsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ½ cup olive oil

Before roasting, remove the meat from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, pepper, salt, and chili; rub all over meat to season. Place on wire rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 400F for 20 min. Reduce heat to 180F, and continue roasting overnight or for 8-9 hrs. After a couple of hours (if you start cooking in the evening, then before going to bed) turn meat so the fatty juices distribute more evenly throughout the meat. Before serving, remove the meat from the oven, cover it with a tent of tin foil, and let it rest for 20-30 min.


Garlicky-Green Sauce

Serve this tasty sauce with roasted pork, or any other meat, vegetable, starch.

Ingredients:
• One head of garlic cloves, peeled
• One generous handful of green herbs, I prefer cilantro with a bit of basil (parsley and sage also work well)
• A tiny splash of vinegar (a mild rice vinegar is nice, you can also substitute white vinegar or lemon juice)
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Blend together the garlic and oil in an automatic blender or food processor until smooth. Add the green herbs and vinegar and pulse until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.


The Perfect Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is an elegant yet simple dessert. It is also an excellent example of how networks of proteins are important for texture in the food we eat. This recipe uses gelatin, a molecule derived from collagen, which is a major structural component of biological materials, such as skin, bones, and connective tissue. Gelatin gives structure to many popular desserts, including this Panna cotta. To perfect the texture so it is not too stiff but still holds its shape, I tested different ratios of gelatin per liquid volume; this ratio came out best.
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
• 2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2.5 tsp gelatin
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Fresh fruit and/or zabaglione (recipe below) to serve

Place 2 tbsp water in a small bowl; sprinkle gelatin on top and let sit for ~ 5 min until gelatin is hydrated. Heat milk, sugar and seeds of vanilla bean in a small pot over medium high heat until steamy; then remove from heat. When the gelatin is fully hydrated, scoop the gelatinous mass into the pot and stir until dissolved. Let cool and then strain into a larger bowl; mix in heavy cream. Lightly grease 6 small ramekins or cups with vegetable oil. Pour the creamy mix into cups into until evenly distributed. Cover each with saran wrap or foil and place in fridge until set, at least 4-5 hrs or overnight. To serve, gently let loose from cup by tracing a knife around the edge of the panna cotta. Invert and place gently on small plates. Top with fruit, zabaglione, etc


Benedictine Zabaglione


This velvety sauce is lovely served aside the Perfect Panna Cotta, a simple cake, or just on a bowl of fresh fruit.

Ingredients
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup Benedictine (or other liqueur, such as Limoncello)

Place yolks & sugar in heat-proof bowl above gently simmering pot of water. Whisk constantly while gradually pouring in liquor little by little. Continue to whisk until sauce thickens. Add a pinch of salt to balance flavours. Remove from heat and cool. Delightful plated alongside panna cotta and fresh fruits. Try experimenting with other liqueurs and pairing with different fruits: some nice combinations are Benedictine and cherries, limoncello, and blueberries.