When it comes to vacation properties we all seem to fall into the same trap. We’re on holidays; we’re having a great time; the weather is awesome, and we start to think, ‘wouldn’t it be great to own a property here?’ So we casually check out the listings. We might even attend a few open houses just to get an “idea” of what things cost.

Before you know it, you start the discussions with your spouse. Actually in my case, it was a well rehearsed, premeditated sales pitch. Picture Bambi caught in the headlights with a Hummer barreling down on him, and you an idea our conversation went.

My husband is the voice of reason, whereas I am the voice of emotion. I know from personal experience that cottages are an emotive purchase. We seldom buy these properties for their investment potential; we buy them for their fun potential.

Could we have the same enjoyment from a rented cottage? Arguably yes. Lots of my friends rent waterfront homes throughout the Gulf Islands every summer and have a great time. A one week rental at on a Gulf Island, depending on the condition of the cabin, will start at $900 and go up to $2,400. A three bedroom cottage in Ontario with all the amenities  will range from $1,200 - $1,500. If you want the cottage for the whole season i.e. July and August, you can expect to pay $10,000 - $12,000.

If you factor in a mortgage, it’s cheaper to rent. So why do we own? There are close to 3 million cottagers out there and another 2.9 million who want to purchase one in the next three years. Roughly 18% of the Canadian population own or want to own a cottage. Did they do the math? I know I didn’t.

Running Car who commented on yesterday’s blog, “How Much Does a Cottage Cost,” summed it up best when he wrote,

“What value do you put on decreased stress or the 5 pound Walleye you just landed? I really don’t want to know what my cottage costs a year. I really don’t want to know what my gas bill is at the lake. All I really want to know about is the fun everyone is having there. That makes it all worth while.”

I’d love to hear how you “sold” your cottage to your spouse.

Cheers,

Julie

Have you ever sat down and calculated how much your cabin costs? I don’t mean how much it would cost to buy a cabin, but how much it actually costs to own a cabin.

Our cottage costs us $11,044 annually to operate (this does not include mortgage payments). When I totaled our expenses from this past summer, I was surprised to discover our biggest expenditures were not taxes and insurance, but gas and food. It seems we eat a lot more at the cabin and we burn a lot more fuel. Boat maintenance accounted for 20% of our total budget.

I then decided to calculate how much that works out to a day. I estimated we spent 45 days at the cabin last summer. That works out to about $245 dollars a day.

Well there you have it. Owning a cabin is not cheap, but as a cabin owner, I already knew that.

When it comes to dollars and sense (pun intended), a cottage is not a good investment. Now I know a lot of people, including myself, have realized significant capital gains on our waterfront properties. Ours has more than doubled in value since we bought it three years ago. But capital gains are not putting any money in my bank account. In fact, rising property values only increases my tax bill. Besides, I have no intention of ever selling my cabin.

Owning a cottage was a lifelong dream of mine. Hopefully, I will be able to pass this dream onto my children. That’s how it is with cottages; we buy them purely for emotional reasons. Douglas Hunter, author of The Cottage Ownership Guide, states, “Owning a cottage is an affair of the heart.”

This week at CottageDaily.com we will explore the costs of ownership and ways to minimize your expenses. We will look at what you should be doing now to offset your capital gains, if and when you decide to cash out, or hand the cabin down to your children.

Taxes: $1,284

Insurance: $ 932

Strata Fees: $828

Food, Gas & Repairs: $8,000

Memories: Priceless

Cheers,

Julie

If you are looking for a fun and easy craft to make with your children this weekend, caramel apples might just do the trick.

We made them this morning. The hardest part, next to peeling the wrappers off the caramels, is keeping them out of your kids’ and husband’s mouths.

All you need is:

• a one bag of Kraft Caramels -it actually comes with the sticks

• 5 granny smith apples

• 2 tbsp of cream

Directions:

Wash and dry the apples and insert wooden sticks in their core.

Unwrap all the caramels, placing them in a small pot, with 2 tbsp of cream. Heat on medium to low heat and stir until all the caramels are melted. Dip the apples in the caramel sauce until they are evenly coated. Scrap any excess off the bottom and place on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Cool and serve.

The kids can also roll them in chopped pecans or shredded coconut or decorate them with sprinkles. From start to finish it takes about 15 minutes.

Cheers

Julie

What is the best tasting beer? Given that it’s “Beer Week” at CottageDaily.com, it’s only natural that we would set out to try and answer this question. In retrospect it might have been easier to prove God’s existence.

When it comes to beer, it seems we all have an opinion on what constitutes a great tasting beer.

For example, the overall winner of the 2006 Canadian Brewing Awards is likely a brewery you have never even heard of, Magnotta Brewery, who won five of the six categories they entered.

At the International Beer Championships held earlier this year in Barrie Ontario, the gold medal winners were:

• Castle - European Amber Lager - South African Breweries
• King Pilsner - Pilsner - King Brewery
• Lug Tread Lagered Ale - Light Hybrid - Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company
• Blanche de Chambly - Unibroue
• County Ale -English Brown Ale - Wellington Brewery
• Tankhouse Ale - Pale Ale - Mill Street Brewery

Again, no familiar names on this list not even Molson’s Coors Lite, which is the number one selling beer in Canada.

After visiting a number of forums like Yahoo.ca, I found the majority of respondents there liked the following:

• Alexander Keiths
• Moosehead
• Kronenberg 1664 - French beer
• Rickards Red
• Heineken
• Sleeman’s Honey Brown

Women (myself included) seemed to prefer Corono - with lime of course. Interestingly, there was just as much discussion about bad tasting beer, no offense to our American neighbors, as there was about good tasting beer.

There was also some concern about how cold beer should be when it is served. According to RenegadeX, any quality beer should be served at slightly-below room-temperature. If a beer is below optimum temperature, depending on the type of beer, anywhere from 6-15C, it will diminish the flavour. Cold kills.

I personally like my beer icy cold. I find it more refreshing.

So what is the best tasting beer? That’s easy - the one that’s in front of you.

Cheers,

Julie

It’s been call everything from Drunken Chicken, Beer Can Chicken, Chicken on a Throne, to Beer Butt Chicken and my personal favourite - Beer in the Rear Chicken. Regardless of what you call it, anyone who has made this dish will agree, it tastes amazing.

Beer can chicken is very easy to make. Getting the chicken on and off the grill is the tricky part. Fortunately, manufacturers like Webers have developed more sophisticated pans for the chicken to sit upright. You just pour some beer in the tray’s opening. Stands can be purchased anywhere from Canadian Tire , Amazon.com to Dollarama.

Clean up is easier if you spray your beer can or holder with PAM and make sure there is a foil plate underneath the chicken to catch the drippings (spray this with Pam as well).

Getting Started

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium or heat up the oven to 350F

3 1/2 to 4 lb roasting chicken

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 - 12 oz can of beer

Barbecue Rub (from the Barbecue Bible’s Website)

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
• 1/4 cup sweet paprika or smoked paprika (if you want it spicier, use hot paprika)
• 2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Mix the four ingredients in a bowl using your fingers.

To prepare the chicken, remove the neck and giblets from the body cavity, rinse inside and out and pat dry.

Brush oil all over the bird. Sprinkle 1 tsp of rub inside the body cavity and 1/2 tsp inside the neck cavity. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of rub over the outside of the bird.

Open the beer, and either drink half, or pour out half out. Take the remaining 1 1/2 tsp of rub and pour into the beer can. Don’t worry if it foams up.

Take the chicken and place the body cavity over the beer can. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the bird stands upright. The rear leg of the tripod is the beer can. If cooking on a roaster: Fill it with the beer mixture and position the chicken on top, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chicken’s back.

Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through (about 180°F on an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching the bone), 11/4 to 11/2 hours.

I use oven mitts to remove bird - this is the hardest and messiest part, which is why I will likely break down and buy a stand like weber’s. Let the bird rest for five minutes and serve.

There are many variations on this recipe, and the CottageLife’s forum has lots of great tips from other cottagers who have tried it.

Cheers,

Julie

PS Our photo today is from the VirtualWeberbullet.com

U-Brew

There are two ways to make beer. The first, and arguably the easiest, involves going to a “u-brew” store where everything is provided. U-Brews were really popular in the mid-nineties, but few remain in operation today. Some of the reasons for their decline are due to high operation costs and strict government regulations.

For first time brewers, this is a good place to start. You simply call ahead to book your brew time, when you arrive, everything is setup and ready to go. You decide what kind of beer you want to make, and yes, they do carry popular brands like Canadian and Coors Lite. The staff will guide you with your selection and step you through the whole process.

The first phase takes about 90 minutes. The second phase (2 weeks later) is the bottling phase, and requires an additional 90 minutes. You will end up with approximately 135 - 140 bottles of beer. The average cost per bottle is $0.74 -$1.00.

Home Brew

The second way to make beer is definitely more complicated, and will require a lot more effort on your part. It can be broken down into three main events: brewing, fermentation and bottling
Getting Started

The brewing process requires the following equipment:

1. 20 qt. brew pot made of stainless steel or enamel-coated metal. Do not use aluminum or a chipped enamel pot - it will cause the beer to taste funny.
2. large stirring spoon (non wood)
3. tablespoon
4. glass measuring cup
5. 12 oz glass jar
6. primary fermentor (purchase from homebrew store)
7. airlock and stopper (homebrew store)
8. sanitizer (restaurant bleach)
9. stick on thermometer
10. plastic hose
11. bottling bucket
12. bottles
13. bottle brush
14. bottle capper (if glass bottles used)
15. small bowl
16. saucepan
17. rubber spatula
18. oven mitts

Next, you need to select your mix, this can be purchased at a homebrew store and will contain all the ingredients needed to brew a particular style of beer. The kit consists of malt extract, yeast, and hops.

Sterilize Everything

The first and most important step in the brewing process is to clean and sanitize everything.

The next step is to create the wort. Wort is the sweet, amber liquid extracted from malted barley that the yeast will later ferment into beer. The primary fermentation process takes about 5 days to complete.

The next phase involves bottling and secondary fermentation and takes 10 - 14 days. Every step along the way requires very careful preparation and handling so the beer does not become contaminated.

According to Dan Small, owner of Dan’s Homebrewing Supplies, bottling is definitely the drudgery of beer making. A lot of people use kegs instead of bottles. The upfront costs are higher, but it saves a lot of time and energy in long run.

Costs

Homebrewing equipment costs approx. $60, and the ingredients range from $20 - $30 depending on the beer. If you’re re -using glass bottles, a capper is required and costs $20. One kit will make 60 regular bottles, costing on average $0.40 a bottle. This excludes start-up costs. There is money to be saved by brewing your own beer, but it is a time consuming hobby.

Kegs

While the upfront costs to use kegs are higher, roughly $300 for set up including a CO2 tank, you will save a lot of time in the long run. One kit will produce 42 litres of beer which can be split into two kegs. You will need a beer fridge to store the keg, or you can purchase one from Kegs to Go, see Tuesday’s blog, No Ordinary Beer Fridge.

While beer sold in the store is definitely more expensive, it does free up my time to devote to more worthwhile activities, like drinking it, and enjoying it with my neighbors.

Tomorrow is Beer Can Chicken.

Cheers,

Julie

PS If you would like a step-by-step guide to brewing beer, visit these sites:

www.howtobrew.com and www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/makebeer/makebeer.html

Beer fridges at the cottage are seldom pretty. Often an olive green colour and covered in old stickers, they are a testament to the 70’s, and are generally kept in the boathouse. Along with the beer, they are great for storing worms and other “live” bait.

If you are looking for something more energy efficient and want to save money, the “Mini Chest,” shown above might be the answer. Sold by Kegs To Go, it is an actual draft beer fridge. It’s cooled by ice and houses a 20 litre keg along with a CO2 dispenser. This is a great fridge if your cottage or cabin are off the grid.

This fridge starts at $600. You do have to keep this fridge stocked with ice, if the beer gets warm it will come out foamy. The electric equivalent costs between $700 - $800.

David Stanley, the owner of Kegs To Go, a Toronto based company, recommends pre-ordering your keg from the beer or liquor store. It is important to note, not all brands come in the 20 litre size. Microbreweries also sell 20 litre kegs or you can brew your own and rent the kegs from them.

When asked how long a keg will last, Stanley explains that most commercial beers, like Coors Lite are pasteurized. Just like bottled beer, they can be stored for up to three months. A true draft beer is not pasteurized and will only last 30 days.

The CO2 cylinders are easy to maintain and will last well over a year, provided there are no leaks. It is important to buy food grade CO2. Companies like Praxair, rent tanks and provide gas to consumers.

Less Than a Buck a Beer

One of the benefits of having your own keg fridge is saving money. A 20 litre keg is the equivalent to 58 bottles of beer, and costs less than $1 a beer. There are also no empties to worry about.

If you’re wondering how to get this “must have” accessory for your cottage, you can contact David directly at 416-996-6642 or email him at admin@kegstogo.ca. They will ship.

I think this would make a great Christmas or Father’s Day present.  Next to a wide screen LCD HDTV,  what guy wouldn’t want his own draft fridge?

Beer week continues tomorrow with tips on how to brew your own.

Cheers,

Julie

It’s beer week at CottageDaily. To kick things off, we are going to test your “beer” knowledge with the following quiz:

1. Beer was first discovered in the Middle Ages - true or false?
2. The minerals in water influence’s the beer’s character - true or false?
3. Ale is the most commonly consumed beer in the world - true or false?
4. American’s preference for weaker beers originated during prohibition when bootleggers watered down their beer to increase their profits - true or false?
5. How many calories does a regular beer have 200, 350 or 140 calories?
6. Two thirds of all beer imported comes from Mexico, Netherlands and U.S. - true or false?
7. Nutritionally, beer is bad for you - true or false?
8. On average, how many bottles of brew do Canadian drink a year - 300 250 or 400?
9. We drink more beer than milk - true or false?
10. What is Canada’s best selling beer - Coors Lite, Labatt’s Blue, or Canadian?

And the answers are:

1. False - beer is one of the oldest beverages dating back to 6th millennium BC
2. True - beer is comprised mostly of water and prior to mass manufacturing, the water came from a local source. The minerals in the water influence the beer’s character. Dublin has hard water making it well suited for producing stouts like Guinness.
3. False - lager is the most commonly consumed beer in the world.
4. True - American bootleggers watered down the beer to make more money; this started the trend for weaker tasting beers.
5. Regular beer has only 140 calories, and lite beer has 110.
6. True
7. False - Beer can make a positive contribution to a healthy diet, provided it’s part of a healthy lifestyle. It contains malt, hops, yeast and filtered water as well as B vitamins, niacin, riboflavin, pyridoxine and folate.
8. On average Canadians drink 250 bottles of beer a year
9. True - we drink more beer 84.7 litres a year compared to milk at 63.1 litres a year.
10. Canada’s best selling beer is actually an American beer, Molson Coor’s lite. As of 2006, they had 42% of the Canadian beer market.

Test scores:

If you scored 8 or higher - congratulations you know your beers!

6 or higher - not bad but more studying, not drinking is in order.

5 or less - Must be a wine drinker.

When it comes to beers, Ben Franklin summed it up best, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Cheers,

Julie

PS. Environmental challenge this week is to reduce my plastic bag consumption - started carrying mesh bag in my purse.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Desiree Daniel, the editor of Cottage magazine. Over the course of our meeting we discussed the differences between lake cottaging and cabin owners. We both had our opinions about what constituted a “lake cottager” versus a “cabin owner.”

According to Desiree, I am a “yahoo” cottager, the kind who has a water ski boat, likes to party, is into toys and grew up in southern Ontario.

I like to think of Desiree as a “cabin owner” kind of gal. Grew up on the west coast, into nature, very environmentally sensitive, likes to kayak and there’s a good chance you’ll find granola in her cupboards.

While we are both guilty of making sweeping generalizations, the one thing we all have in common is our desire to escape, break away. We want a place where we can go with our family and friends to unwind, relax and have fun.

Some of us find our Zen on a wakeboard or inner tube, while others prefer the tranquility of a hike or a paddle.

The nice part about having a cabin on the island, is I now have the best of both worlds. I am a yahoo cabin owner. I still love my water sports, but some of them are now non-motorized. I find myself kayaking more and waterskiing less.

Happy hour is still happy hour regardless of where I drink my beer; it’s always icy cold and people, including myself, get funnier the more I drink.

The one thing I am curious about, where in Canada do cottagers cease being cottagers and turn into cabin owners? Is it Manitoba or Saskatchewan? And what about the rest of Canada? Are they called cottagers in the Maritimes, and if yes, are they yahoo cottagers?

I would love to know what kind of cottager or cabin person you are - perhaps there’s a type I haven’t even heard of. Please let me know and photos are always welcome.

Cheers to our diversity!

Julie

Did you ever read a recipe that sounded so good, you just wanted to stop what you were doing and make it? Well today’s sweet treat has been haunting me since Sunday, when I first saw it at UBC’s Apple Fest. It’s called, Tunnel of Ambrosia Cake, and it was created by Karen Barnaby, who is the chef at the Fish House in Stanley Park.

It is based on a traditional apple spice cake, but it’s what sets this dessert apart is the Ambrosia apple filling, made with cream cheese, bourbon and diced Ambrosia apples - mmmmmmmmmmm.

I must admit I have yet to make this one, but it is only a matter of time before I do. I’ve even stocked up on the apples.

Tunnel of Ambrosia Cake

Ambrosia Apple Filling

1/2 lb cream cheese at room temp.

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup bourbon, optional

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 lbs. peeled, cored Ambrosia apples, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

For the Ambrosia Apple Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp dried ground ginger

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cardamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup dark sugar

2 Tbsp molasses

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup grated Ambrosia apple

1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350degrees F. Spray a 10-inch tube pan generously with non-stick spray.

To make the filling, combine the cream cheese and brown sugar and beat with an electric mixer or by hand until well combined. Beat in bourbon, vanilla, and the egg until smooth. Stir in the apple, coconut and pecans. Set aside.

To make the cake, sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together. With an electric mixer or by hand, cream the butter. Add the white and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the molasses, vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in the grated apple. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk.

Spread 1/3 of the batter into the pan. Spoon the Ambrosia apple filling evenly over the batter. Spread the remaining batter on top of the apples. Bake for 1 hour.

Let cool in the pan on a rack for 1/2 hour before turning out of the pan.

Let cool completely before slicing. I would put either a dollop of fresh whipping cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream with this rich cake.

Today’s photo is from Epicurious.com

Stay tuned for Braised Chicken with Ambrosia Apples….

Cheers,

Julie