Kristin Refrains From Singing 'O Canada'

Yesterday was Canada Day, frequently referred to as “Canada’s birthday,” which marks, on July 1, 1987, the joining of the British colonies Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces, and a gradual decline of the British Parliament’s control over the new country.

Karen’s mother is Canadian, and so Karen has taught me over the years to appreciate the culture and beauty of our neighboring country. I’m always amazed by how many great things have come from Canada—Trivial Pursuit, the music synthesizer, the zipper, the snowblower, basketball, my favorite writer Alice Munro, and many musicians, including Celine Dion, Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young.

Sadly, I’ve only crossed into Canada once, make that twice, during each of the two times I've run the Detroit Marathon, which proudly features the “world’s only underwater international mile.” I yearn to see more—Montreal, Vancouver, Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies, etc.

But for now, I must settle for celebrating Canada Day from the states. And since I'm already extraordinarily gifted at singing Canada's national anthem, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen and host a Canada day barbecue, complete with Maple pie for dessert. I invited my two favorite Canucks—Karen, and her sister Kate. The best part was definitely dessert—maple pie with maple whipped cream. The recipe was so easy, and tasted quite similar to pecan pie. Below is the recipe I used. A dollop of maple whipped cream on the top of each slice was a great addition. Happy Canada Day!

Maple Syrup Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

2 ¼ cups maple syrup (the real stuff)

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat to 375F.

In a large bowl, whisk together maple syrup, heavy whipping cream, and flour until blended. Add eggs one at a time, making sure the it’s blended well. Fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 30-35 minutes or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. I serve mine with maple whipped cream.