Another summer closes

In America, Labor Day marks the end of another summer season, and time to visit our Canadian cousins.  Niagara Falls is about a 5 hours drive so with an early start it's easy to be there for lunch. After checking in to the hotel, it was time to tidy up after 5 hours in the car and admire the view of the falls from the hotel room. As always, the larger Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side was enveloped in a cloud of mist making it difficult to see and even more difficult to photograph. The view of the American Falls was stunning and I once again felt sorry for the Americans. While the falls are on their side, they cannot see the full beauty as you can from the Canadian side.

 After a quick wash and brush up we hit the road to do some shopping. For some reason that is beyond me, the brands that I know and love from England are rare in the US and can only be obtained from specialist shops. So visiting the Canadian supermarkets which seem to stock them everywhere gives me a chance to stock up on amongst others Heinz Baked Beans, (most American beans are laced with things like maple syrup, bacon and brown sugar while English beans are beans in a plain tomato sauce), Bisto Gravy, HP Sauce (a type of steak sauce), Birds Custard and several brands of cordial, a substance many Americans view with almost satanical eyes. Cordial for those who don’t know is a sort of fruit juice concentrate, one pours about one inch into a glass and tops up with water and is available in flavours such as Lemon Barley and Blackcurrant (sold as Ribena). It is also the time to stock up an English chocolate, Bounty, Mars (called three musketeers in the US), Crunchie and wine gums not forgetting the Cadbury’s Flake – I have yet to meet an American who doesn't fall in love with a flake and wish that they were available in the US.

 Having stocked up it was time to eat. We went to our favourite Italian Restaurant Mama Mia’s at the junction of Clifton Hill and Victoria Avenue, they've been serving Italian cuisine since 1958, and are the proud winners of two “Best Italian Restaurant” awards. We have been to the restaurant several times and had good meals. This time, I opted for the spaghetti and meatballs only to be corrected that it was a single meatball.  It arrived – fresh made pasta and homemade tomato sauce with the one meatball. Huge was not the word to describe it, looking for all intents and purpose as if it was ready to be used in some baseball game or cricket match. Despite its size it was well cooked and moist to the centre, the pasta sauce was good but to be honest did lack a little seasoning.  I left the restaurant feeling full but not over full.  On a previous visit to this restaurant I had a chicken cream pesto dish, which I now cook at home on a regular basis, the recipe is given below. 

After dinner we walked down to the falls and settled down in the garden of a bar overlooking the falls. It would be difficult to say I enjoyed the beer there…. It tasted fine, as good as any draft beer I have had before, but the price of $7.50can a pint was a little off putting, even a bottle of Bud removed $5can from your wallet! The rest of the evening was spent watching a free concert just across the road, a Niagara based group called Split Agent. They played middle of the road rock mainly from the 70s and were in fact pretty good.

Fireworks over the American Falls

 After a two-hour concert we sat back and watched the firework show. Niagara Parks put on the concerts and fireworks every Friday during summer as a free thank you to those who visit.  With it now being dark, I walked down to the falls and spent some time photographing the American and Horseshoe Falls, now lit up by the powerful spotlights. Having set up the camera on the tripod, I suddenly became a magnet for couples and families wanting a photograph of them all together with the backdrop of the illuminated falls. From some odd comments I heard, it appears the camera on a tripod sets you apart from the tourist snapshoter and catapults you into the realm of the hardened 'pro'. After getting the shots I wanted, I made my way back to the hotel, finding Clifton Hill wall to wall people and cars. Despite being 11 pm, it was busier than we had seen it on a Saturday afternoon. All the attractions were still open and packing the crowds and places like the Fudge Factory were heaving with lines out of the door. For me after the drive and the late night, all I wanted was to get some sleep.

 Chicken Cream Pesto Pasta

• 1lb       Penne or Rotini pasta
• 1lb       cooked and sliced chicken breast 
• 1          small onion finely sliced
• 3          cloves crushed garlic (or to taste)
• 1pt       heavy (double) cream

 Cook the pasta al dente and set aside. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft but still has a little firmness and set aside.  In a large skillet or frying pan warm up the cream but do not bring to the boil. Add pesto and tomato paste to your taste, usually about 3 good teaspoons of pesto and 2 teaspoons of tomato. Once the mixture is to your taste, quickly bring to the boil and remove from the heat. In a large bowl mix the pasta, onion and chicken, pour the cream mixture over the pasta mix and stir well. If necessary, the mixture can be returned to the skillet to quickly re-heat before serving.