REMEMBRANCE DAY 2014

Remembering our dad, Captain John Yuzyk, who worked tirelessly on behalf of war veterans from the day he joined the Air Force in the 1940s until the day he passed away in 2003. He spent the war years in England and came home to tour across Canada establishing several Ukrainian legion branches to support veterans returning home.  His efforts on behalf of veterans were recognized over a 50 year period with many awards nation-wide ....but helping a comrade acquire a pension or solve a medical issue was his reward.  Miss you dad....we won't forget.

MOVEMBER IN MANITOBA

 

MOVEMBER

During November each year, MOVEMBER is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives. Barry won't shave his moustache off but is growing it longer to give him an even more Cossack look (here's his Before...After to follow at the end of the month)! Our Dad was a Movember honouree for his moustache a couple of years ago in a blog created by a University of Manitoba Archivist.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO FOUR GREAT MOMMIES!

Happy Mother's Day to four great mommies!  I really miss my Baba Kotelko and Mother, Anne Kotelko-Yuzyk, who were both devoted mothers.  Hope my sister Barb Yuzyk and niece Samantha MacKinnon have a really lovely Mother's Day weekend!  They deserve it! XOXOXOXOXO

BANANA APRICOT BREAD RECIPE

There are just so many banana bread recipes to choose from and what’s nice is that you can combine all sorts of traits from each to develop one of your own – which is exactly what I did! I am not a big banana cake, muffin or bread enthusiast but, having a husband who is, I had to think of something I could make that we could enjoy together! With a bit of experimentation I found a way of making a cakier and moister loaf that we both just love.

I really think it’s the yogurt that made the dough moister and the cake/pastry flour that gave it that special lightness. I’ve always used all-purpose flour and hated the way some banana breads seem totally baked only to have a centre that is doughy. The cake/pastry flour did the trick! This recipe worked on first try … maybe you will have the same luck! And certainly – I hope I have it the next time.

(Preheat oven to 350F)

Materials:

- 5” by 10” loaf pan lined with parchment paper (I hate how pans get if I don’t use it!)
- 2 large mixing bowls
- Spatula for mixing (didn’t even use my electric mixer!)
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Kitchen scissors for cutting apricots
- Sifter

Ingredients:

- 5 Tablespoons Margarine or Butter
- 2 eggs (I use organic eggs)
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 apricots (mine were kind of sour!)
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2/3 cup of sugar

I mixed the above ingredients in one mixing bowl using my spatula and a small whisk. I made sure the bananas were pretty mushed up and cut the apricots into small pieces. I combined the following ingredients in the other bowl using my sifter to make sure there were no unusual lumps!

- 2 cups and 4 tablespoons of pastry or cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda

I mixed the wet and dry ingredients together with my spatula until the mixture was nicely blended. If you like things like pecans, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. throw in a handful at this point and mix a bit more. I poured the dough into the parchment paper-lined baking pan and baked for 50 minutes checking with a toothpick to see if it the centre came out without any traces of batter on it. It was ready! This may be tricky because all our ovens are different to some extent, so you need to keep an eye on your loaf after about 40 minutes or so. But then you know that!

Once I removed the bread from the oven I let it sit for about a half hour to cool. I really wanted to try it right away … but we both showed some restraint and left it alone for a while. When the loaf was reasonably cooled off I removed it and we tried it. It was very good … certainly a cakier type of loaf … just as we had hoped it would be. The sour apricots gave it a neat taste too! At this point you could either eat it or even freeze it … depends on you!   Here are some photos … hope they complement the recipe!



Craig Fotheringham

Our friend, Craig Fotheringham, passed away recently and has left the Winnipeg music community deeply saddened. His talent as a guitarist, keyboardist and music producer was extraordinary ... when he played at our club, Lazy Dog Music, the audience was mesmerized by his performance every time. We were so lucky to have known him for the last fourteen years. We have many happy memories of him, recordings he did at our cafe and cds of his music he shared with us throughout the years. He even once sang at our cafe ... sounded a bit like Jack Nicholson! So glad we visited with him at a jazz gig he did just prior to his passing ... lucky I had my iPhone that day ... he loved the video! Miss you Craig ... gone too soon ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY UKRAINIAN FAMILY AND FRIENDS!