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Canada Day Iiquher What's a summer long weekend without a party? Here are some quick ideas for appetizers, mains and a dessert to please all of your guests on Canada Day. By Nina Dragicevic ‘Oh, Canada. With summers that feel as short as ours, the few long weekends we have are sacred. And, this year, there's an extra reason to cel- ebrate Canada Day: Our population just reached 40 million. It’s time for a little party. If youre entertaining family, friends and neig! bours this year, here are some recipe ideas that wont have you tied to the oven or grill all day — either make-ahead, or set-it-and-forget-it. Feeding a crowd With a backyard and barbecue, apps are easy — just grill corn on the cob, skewers of chopped veg- les and flatbreads. No backyard, no problem: All you need is an oven and regular basting. Prep can be done in advance, and they dos lon't need too much attention during your gatheri As for the main event, chef Jonathan Tjerkstra has two favourite party dishes to feed a lot of people. And he's certainly the expert here — his catering and food truck company Jonny Blonde serves big events throughout Niagara, Hamilton and the GTA. “First up, | would say for a vegetarian dish, | think you want something fast and casual) Tjerkstra says. “| like to call it’grown-up' mac and cheese” Cheddar is the classic cheese here, but Tjerkstra likes “grown-up” options to bring the comfort dish to the next level - Five Brothers cheese from Newfoundland and Labrador is a personal favou- rite, which combines traits of creamy Gouda ani Swiss Appenzeller, as well as Frére Jacques, a sweet and nutty cl le by monks in Quebec. easy béchamel sauce also works, he adds. “And it's definitely something that can be pre- pared ahead of time, which is really nice! Tjerkstra says. “If you make the sauces, allow them to cool, cook the noodles, allow them to get cool. Mix them together, and then you bake with some kind of cheese or bread crumb topping on it, or a mix- ture of both. It’s going to turn out really, really nice’ To impress your meat eaters - and if you can afford to splurge a little - Tjerkstra loves a prime rib for Canada Day. It feeds a lot of people and suits a party night that ends in fireworks. “| honestly think it’s the biggest crowd-pleaser,’ he says. “Now, it’s big, pati i Teally doesn't require too much in the way of process” There are countless ime orb Tecipes to choose Pam Damoff, MP Oakville North-Burlington from online, baked or grilled, but Tjerkstra loves this main course because it's hard to mess up. “Like, even if it’s bad, it’s good) he says. “Same with mac and cheese. The only thing you can do to ruin it would be maybe to add too much salt” Pairing a cut of prime rib with a side of mac and cheese is great match, Tjerkstra says — just add a blob of blue cheese on the beef. Asweet finish A light finale is refreshing after cheesy pasta and heavy meat mains. Although butter tarts and Nanaimo bars are beloved Canadian classics, one historic Maritime dessert goes all the way back to the 17 Blueberry Grunt was named after the sound of simmering and bubbling blueberries, which French settlers would cook slowly in pots over fires, according to Parks Canada Henttage G Gourmet ‘ecipes. These workers were building the Prince of Wales Fort on Hudson Bay, an effort that took more than 40 years, and blueberries were plentiful in the tegion. A tea biscuit was dropped on top of the stewing berries, completing the dessert. Preheat an oven to 375 F. For the berries, mix 4 cups blueberries, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a pot; cover and boil gently until a lot of juice is released. For a traditional tea biscuit, mix 2 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar in a bowl. Cut 2 tbsp of butter into the flour and add 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk. (Some modern recipes eu for a lot more butter - modify the pastry as please} Drop spoonfuls of f dough onto the hot blueberries, then bake for 15 Today, it's popular to dollop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top - a perfect finish for a summer gathering, fresh berries and cool ice cream. Get teady for fireworks. €Z0z ‘6z aun ‘Aepsiny, | seaveg eIAyeo | SZ CANADA DAY! Let’s celebrate today and every day what it means to each of us to be Or bereKebtvel Hon. Anita Anand, MP Gatalle wo9"uo}|ByapIsUt