Seven layer what?

I have heard of seven layer cake, seven layer dip, and even seven layer salads. What I have never heard of is seven layer dinner. That’s right, seven layer dinner.

Why do I mention this?

Well, yesterday evening when I was on call at the hospital, I wandered down to the cafeteria for a little something extra to go along with my homemade sandwich. I was hoping for a little soup or something along those lines. As usual I inquired about the offerings for the evening and was told that they had barley soup, homemade pizza, and seven layer dinner. I guess my face did not hide my complete and utter ignorance, because the ladies in the kitchen all chuckled at the queer face I must have been making.

Seven layer dinner?

Yes I had heard them correctly, it was in fact seven layer dinner. What pray tell is seven layer dinner you ask? Well let me tell you friends it is nothing like seven layer cake. The seven layers of the dinner refer to the layers of ingredients with which you line the casserole dish. In the case of our hospital, the kitchen had chosen the fresh veggies that are currently available throughout the countryside at any of the many roadside stands. It begins with potato halves, then green beans followed by bell peppers, corn, peas, macaroni noodles, tomatoes, and ground beef. When it is dished up it looks a lot like any other casserole you have ever seen. Since I had never heard of such a thing, I immediately went to Google to find out more about this culinary invention, and I found several different versions of the same basic process. Like any good recipe it is easily modified, and so I found the following options for the dinners.
1 c. rice

1 c. whole kernel corn

1/2 (5 oz.) can tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. chopped green peppers

1/2 (5 oz.) can tomato sauce

3/4 to 1 lb. ground beef, partially cooked

4 to 6 strips of bacon on top

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

1 c. green beans, drained

1 c. kernel corn, drained

1 c. sweet peas, drained

6 servings of instant mashed potatoes

1 c. spaghetti sauce

Salt & pepper

2 c. sliced potatoes

1 c. sliced carrots

1 c. chopped onion

1 lb. hamburger - browned

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 c. raw rice

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1 qt. tomatoes

1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
3 potatoes, sliced
1 onion, sliced into rings
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (15 ounce) can green peas, with liquid
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can water
1 pound pork sausage, sliced and browned
salt and pepper to taste

As you can see, there are many options for the seven layers of deliciousness that could have come you way in the cafeteria, but I having a sandwich already opted for the barley soup in a cup.

While on the subject, I should make it very clear that life in a small town hospital is infinitely more fun than you would possibly expect. For instance, the cafeteria is run by the same ladies who have been there for ages, and all the meals are made from scratch using as much local produce, meat etc as possible. The meals, while different from the fare of Texas, are none the less satisfying and very good. The next nice thing is that in very short order you know absolutely everyone in the place, and there are no longer any strangers. You see these folks whenever you are out and about in town, and when you are out for a walk on the trail. Each and every one of them is ready and willing to help you with anything in which you might be interested.

As an example, I am very interested in getting some wool sweaters made prior to the arrival of winter. The woolen mill where we had gone came across two sweaters that they thought might fit me, and so when Nancy ran into the manager in the grocery, she mentioned this to her. She had put them back and was preparing to call me at the clinic to let me know that she had them and I should come try them on. During their conversation, they realized that with my schedule I would not be by the mill for some time, so they gave the sweaters to Nancy to bring to me for fitting. Understand that these are fantastic sweaters that are probably worth $300 or more in the states, and they just handed them over and said give them a try. We did in fact try them on and I am keeping one of them, a pullover that is very nice. We have looked at some other places for sweaters, but they are all marked up far too much for my taste, so I put the word out that I would be interested in “commissioning” some sweaters from any of the knitters in town. I have several names which I will be going through this week to see who has the time and inclination to knit some sweaters for me this year. I can assure you they will be very warm, very pretty and a whole lot less than the ones in the store.

Very soon I will post some photos of the hospital on the blog so you can get a better feel for my life north of the 40th parallel.

The wool mill around the corner

It appears that some folks reading the blog have become curious if all that is taking place at the new homestead is the steady drill of painting, unpacking, sleeping and repeating. Well I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. In fact there has been a great deal more taking place than this simple four step cycle represents. There has been grocery shopping, the eternal quest for Fritos, trips to the barn, work with horses, setting up an office, painting, deciphering the mandatory recycle system, searching for Fritos, sleeping, unpacking, going to the hardware store, painting, and of course, sleeping.

In all seriousness, the quest to get everything important unpacked, as well as finishing the painting so that the rooms can be organized has occupied a significant amount of time. However, we are venturing forth to explore the surroundings as we make our way north and south across the island on the regular trips to the barn and clinic. Today we ran into a most amazing place which we have passed several times, but today decided needed closer inspection. It is the MacAuslands woolen mill and it has been in operation since 1870. The building itself is newer having been rebuilt after the fire in 1948, but the mill itself has been operating on this site since 1870. We have driven past it several times as it is on the way from O’Leary to the Kent Hardware (think Lowes or Home Depot). Today we popped in and took a look around (Link to flickr photos). It was fantastic. The equipment is wonderful, and the women who were working away on it moved with a sense of finesse and grace as they ran the spindles that created the yarn. We talked with the owners for about half an hour prior to taking our leave. They put me in touch with a lady who knits wool sweaters and I will be visiting her soon to get a few in my size.

This weekend we are hoping to head to the northern and western most point of the island to the town of Tignish to see a beautiful Catholic church and enjoy the sites. Also, since we now have a reliable internet connection at home I will begin uploading more photos of the travels.

In case you are curious as to the multiple mentions of Fritos, we are having great difficulty finding these chips in Canada.