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stouffviuesuntribuneu thursday mardi 15 2007 5 confessions of a nighthawk a nighthawk as described in my computer dic tionary is a bird common during summer throughout the unit ed states and canada its winters are spent in the bahamas and south america its name the descriptive con tinues is misleading since it seldom flies at night instead it prefers searching for food during daylight hours i tell you this because dur ing my 56 years of labour ive often been referred to as a nighthawk meaning of course i prefer working after dark while this lifestyle does in fact differ greatly from my feathered friend i honestly admit to coming from a long line of nighthawks during preteen years my parents also night hawks allowed me to stay up past those hours when most chil dren my age were under the covers why because of my abili ty to convince them foster hewitt and nhl broadcasts were more important to my mental and physical well- being than 10 hours of count ing sheep the same practice held true during my arduous jour ney through secondary school attempts at solving the pythagorean theorem or translating lessons from latin into english would often take me into earlymorning hours long after most brain matter had turned to mush while exercising journalis tic endeavours atthe tribune little changed i found i could accomplish more keeping company with the office mouse than when others including customers were walking in and out following retirement from this term of duty a security role at newmarkets upper canada mall saw me travel ling home well past the stroke of twelve still brighteyed and bushy tailed the real test came five years ago when i spotted a newspaper ad that read wanted concierge for sen iors residence 16th avenue markham fridays and satur days 12 midnight to 8 am my application was accepted amica as its called is a beautiful place a halfmile from where i grew up and only 10 minutes from where i live now i enjoyed it there the management the staff the residents and the surroundings however all good things would seemingly come to an end when in 2005 i under went heart bypass surgery although the manager agreed to keep the position open until my return i felt this unfair i agreed to retire at the same time letting her know id be available should emer- roaming with jim thomas gencies arise this arrange ment has worked out well for me and hopefully for them however people keep ask ing how can you stay awake during those hours how can you deliver newspapers the following saturday how can you attend church the follow ing sunday and so on the answers are simple im a nighthawk admittedly working a graveyard shift can prove tedious if the minutes control you the hours pass slowly if you control the minutes the hours pass quickly i prefer the latter so whats to do first and foremost i make sure the buildings secure this means all main floor doors are locked only to be opened for daily newspaper deliveries or residents who for whatever reason choose to return after curfew then of course there are the usual ambulance calls for residents taken ill or fire alarm signals for those burning toast regardless i must always stay close to the phones including a portable unit i have everywhere i go emer gencies often arise at inop portune times because of this theres zero tolerance when it comes to sleep management appreci ates the fact a wideawake employee is vital to a safe and sound environment to ensure this it has included accessories to bridge the gap between dark and dawn these little luxuries include a computer on it i can call up everything from last nights hockey scores to next weeks weather also available is a wide- screen 70channel tv since viewing audiences are slim at 3 am everything from frankenstein to the lone ranger are played some in black and white despite the fact im now relegated to the role of a part- time parttimer i thoroughly enjoy this impeccable place it gives me an opportunity to work through a shift only a nighthawk could love jim thomas is a stouf- fville resident who has writ ten for area newspapers for more than 50 years mffic when cathy asks as she always does what do you want for dinner i invariably reply mac and cheese or anything else hoping against hope that more often than not ill actually get doreens mac and cheese its the curl up in my easy chair type of meal that is the fitting end to a long and full day comfort food at its finest reg 1095 serves 3 to 4 or 1 evan off this week california although the california weather hasnt been so good for lettuce its been great for berries and this week weve got a load of great ones verfilfced qt ts ri h corned in keeping with our irish theme well be making copious amounts of our corned beef for this week to make this we use brisket points that have been welltrimmed cured and seasoned in the oldtime way theyre ready to cook if your wish is to make corned beef and cabbage well not only have sk jus 0 the recipe available well give you fg q the cabbage as well reg 599 lb off this week what quartj uinness sausages these sausages have a stout flavor that goes with just about anything including a little j0l esjf a more guinness to j jut q wash them down ffl l rt reg 399 lb 4wu jf this week whats cookin at tjbde eli well be cooking irish stew this week although there are many versions of this the best that we have found includes lamb sweet onions potatoes and leeks well also be making some irish soda bread its like a dense scone perfect for dipping into your irish stew and lastly well be making some back ribs which have been cooked in guinness these can be had with either of two neat bbq sauces one which is pineapple- paprika and the other applevanilla s99 ea mmmmm i i the theme this week is irish green of course and most things irish are green but not all well be making baileys caramel turnovers and a few others baileys is my drink of choice but this takes it to another level reg creme de menthe nanaimos these are our regulars but with a creme de menthe seasoned custard layer reg jl pistachiolime shortbread its our beauty butter shortbread with a twist sold in our containers reg mint chocolate eclairs this is our homemade eclair with a ea immksmi mlf07 buns are now mint chocolate mousse custard jj i mixture sandwiched then dipped in hi chocolate how bad is that 199 s tomato basil we make this soup using you guessed it fresh tomatoes and fresh basil the base being chicken stock in fact i invite you to read the full ingredient list all good stuff one further point this can be served either hot or chilled as your mood dictates w si off reg 599 j m f this serves 3 4 a week sshseslllsotis weve had some phone issues of late if youve had trouble getting us on the phone we sincerely apologize the good news is alls well now really about st pattys day but it is green and really very good reg reg v shamrock meringues filled with pistachios almonds and hazelnuts jl ea lime mousse cups this is a candid eg moment we know lime mousse is not green cupcakes fully loaded with all the trimmings baileys cheesecakes these begin with a shortbread crust then baileys flavoured cheesecake with some dark chocolate and finally baileys whipped cream mntnttn two sizes and jjjli shamrock cookies well be making them in two formats the very large ones than you need to hold with two hands are jl ea while the containers of 24s are xx ea st patricks caices this is our vanilla cake made with green frosting topped with a shamrock and green crystal sugar mmaon os also two sizes x4 and 2ljl lime curd tarts wc make these with chocolate whipped cream and all these items will be featured this week at specials in effect until closing sunday march 18 hours moh 1100700 tucsthurs 900700 fri 900800 jependenti sat 900600 sun 1000500 grocer 548 carlton road unionville 9401770 wwwthevillagegrocercom