Volume 3 – Issue 11 – December 18

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’ IN THE HOUSE:

Tonight: Wear something Christmasee!

Next Week: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

SWAG: The link to the order form is HERE!

Get your order in by Jan 15^th (the second week of curling after the holidays)

Send any questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Important: Register Your Car Now!

In case you missed the email from the Curling Club or the blog on the OCC website, it is important that you register your car on the OCC website.

As the Town of Oakville prepares to open the skating and hockey rink at Wallace Park, the Club is concerned about a potential increase in parking demand in both the west and east parking lots. While 25% of the west (back) parking lot is owned by the city, the Oakville Curling Club fully owns the east (front) parking lot. To ensure that members and their guests have access to parking, it is crucial that all vehicles are registered with the Club. This includes not only your personal vehicles, but also those of any friends or family who may visit to watch games or attend club events.

Key Details:

· Registration Requirement: All vehicles must be registered to avoid ticketing and / or being towed!

· Parking Enforcement: The Town of Oakville will be utilizing a license plate scanning system to verify registrations.

· Old Tags Invalid: Previously issued parking tags are no longer valid. Only registered license plates will be recognized.

· High-Traffic Days: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are expected to be our busiest days, with the highest potential for parking challenges.

The Club is collaborating with the town to enforce parking rules strictly, including ticketing unregistered vehicles. Registering your license plate is the best way to avoid issues and ensure smooth access to parking.

Action Required:

Please complete the vehicle registration process as soon as possible. If you have any questions or need assistance, contact the Club office.

Vehicle Registration can be accessed any time from the Profile dropdown on the home page, or by clicking HERE

CLOSING NIGHT in April 2025:

While we don’t want to wish away our season, we do have to start thinking ahead to our closing social - it's never too early to get planning!

Evelyn has an outline of things to do for either an appie night on the night of the final games (April 9) or a banquet on the Wed following the final games (April 16) whichever you would like to do.

Please give this some thought and just let Evelyn or Sheri know. Sooner rather than later would be extra helpful, as we are being asked by the office which night we will hold our closing, so they can plan schedules for the other leagues playoffs.

Congratulations to Janet Murphy and her team: They placed 2nd in the Canadian Senior Women’s Curling Championship!
Team Ontario 640 16x9
Team Ontario

Skip Jo-Ann Rizzo
Third Janet Murphy
Second Lori Eddy
Lead Mary Chilvers

THE TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES: SCOTT FOSTER

team

My name is Scott Foster and I am your Head Ice Technician at OCC. I have worked in this capacity for 26 years. Prior I was the head ice tech at the North Bay Granite Club. I fell into that position after graduating from Canadore College in the Recreation Leadership Program.

I am an Oshawa boy, born and raised. It took meeting Melissa to get me out of my hometown. I moved up to North Bay to attend Canadore while she was in Teacher's College at Nipissing University.

We live in Burlington and have 2 children, Kalli and Jeremy. Kalli is in second year at McMaster University studying Social Psychology and Jeremy is in grade 8 studying sports.

I enjoy being your ice technician and pride myself on creating an exceptional playing surface for the OCC membership. I also enjoy creating ice conditions for our sports top athletes during the Ontario and World Curling Tour events and competitions that we host.

I have been asked to be part of several elite ice making crews with highlights being the 2021 Scotties, 2022 Brier, multiple Grand Slams, the U18 Nationals hosted by our club and most recently The Club Champions Nationals.

My ice staff of 8 part timers and myself hope you're enjoying your Wednesday night games.

LAUGH OF THE WEEK:

joke

STUFF THAT MAKES US CURL BETTER:

Sweeping Saturday - Timing is Everything in curling - Part 1: Split Times

RECIPES AROUND THE RINGS:

Christmas Wreath Salad

recipe1

If you're looking for a special salad recipe for Christmas that looks as great as it tastes, this Christmas wreath salad is the way to go!

It's packed with flavorful ingredients and all sorts of different textures, and it makes great use of seasonal ingredients. Endive makes a beautiful wreath shape, and it holds the toppings well.

You can make the salad the day before serving and top with dressing just before serving!

Ingredients

recipe2

For the salad

Arugula: This provides a sturdy base for the endive, and bulks up the salad a bit more. If you don't like arugula, try another leafy green like spring mix.
Endive: We used Belgian endive for this recipe. Red endive would also work well (and would look great!). Endive is bitter on its own, but it's really toned down with the addition of sweet and salty ingredients, like apple and candied walnuts.
Apple: We personally prefer honeycrisp apples in a salad. Toss the apple slices in a small amount of lemon juice to keep them from browning if you want to make this ahead of time!
Prosciutto: We like to crisp it up in a pan before chopping it up. You could also use pancetta or bacon, or leave out the meat to keep this vegetarian.
Parmesan: Shaved parmesan is great in this salad! Blue cheese would be another great option.
Dried cranberries add a bit of tartness and chewiness. Dried cherries would also be delicious here.
Candied walnuts: They're sweet, slightly spicy, crunchy and delicious!

For the dressing

Olive oil: This is the time to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil!
Whole grain mustard: The tangy, vinegary flavor of whole grain mustard really balances out the bitterness of endive.
Honey for a touch of sweetness, which tones down the mustard.
Champagne vinegar: You can also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is always best!
Salt and pepper

How to Make this Christmas Wreath Salad Recipe

PREP: Start by making the candied walnuts. Preheat oven to 250˚F and lightly grease a nonstick sheet pan.

STEP 1: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, water and vanilla until frothy. Add in the walnuts and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, mix together both sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne. Sprinkle on top of the walnuts and toss until well coated.

STEP 2: Spread into an even layer on the sheet pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes total, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool completely before chopping up.

recipe3

STEP 3: Meanwhile, prepare the salad ingredients. To crisp up the prosciutto, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 2-3 slices of prosciutto to the pan and lay flat. Let it crisp up for 1-2 minutes (it will start to crinkle and shrink), then flip and cook another minute or so, until crispy.

Repeat, then let the prosciutto cool before roughly chopping.

Slice the apple and (optional) toss in 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice to prevent browning. Separate the endive leaves.

Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients until well incorporated.

recipe4

STEP 4: To assemble the salad, start by arranging the arugula in a wreath shape on a circular platter. Arrange endive on top, then add apple slices, crispy prosciutto, cranberries, parmesan and chopped candied walnuts. Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving. Enjoy!

Substitutions and Variations

Endive: If you can't find any endive or aren't a fan of its bitter flavor, you can just use all arugula in this recipe.
Cheese: Try this salad with crumbled goat cheese, blue cheese, gorgonzola or another similar alternative for a more funky flavor profile.
Nuts: If you're allergic to nuts, you can use a seed like pepitas instead.
Vinaigrette: Not a fan of mustard? Try this creamy balsamic vinaigrette instead.
Apple: This salad would also be delicious with pear instead of apple.

What to Serve with Christmas Wreath Salad

This Christmas Wreath Salad pairs perfectly with other festive holiday sides and appetizers. Try a few of our favorites!

Storage

Make ahead: You can make this Christmas wreath salad a day before serving. Assemble the salad (but wait to pour the vinaigrette on top until just before serving). Wrap the salad tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The salad will start to get soggy the longer it sits.

Tips and FAQ

Top tip

Make the candied walnuts ahead of time! This is the only step of the recipe that takes a good amount of time (about 1 hour to bake) and you can make them up to 2 weeks ahead of time. You'll probably want to make a double batch, because they're pretty delicious on their own!

More tips

If you're making this salad ahead of time, toss the apple slices in a small amount of lemon juice to keep them from browning.
If you don't want to crisp up the prosciutto, you can leave it uncooked – just tear into smaller pieces with your hands before arranging on the salad.

This gorgeous, festive Christmas Wreath Salad is made with endive, candied walnuts, crispy prosciutto, parmesan, apple, dried cranberries and a whole grain mustard vinaigrette.

INGREDIENTS

Salad:

2 ounces arugula
3-4 heads of endive, leaves separated
6 slices prosciutto
1 honeycrisp apple
¼ cup shaved parmesan
2 tbsp dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped candied walnuts (recipe below)

Mustard Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Candied Walnuts:

1 ½ cups raw, unsalted walnuts
½ of an egg white*
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by making the candied walnuts. Preheat oven to 250˚F and lightly grease a nonstick sheet pan.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, water and vanilla until frothy. Add in the walnuts and toss to coat.
In a separate bowl, mix together both sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne. Sprinkle on top of the walnuts and toss until well coated.
Spread into an even layer on the sheet pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes total, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool completely before chopping up.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad ingredients. To crisp up the prosciutto, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 2-3 slices of prosciutto to the pan and lay flat. Let it crisp up for 1-2 minutes (it will start to crinkle and shrink), then flip and cook another minute or so, until crispy.
Repeat, then let the prosciutto cool before roughly chopping.
Slice the apple and (optional) toss in 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice to prevent browning. Separate the endive leaves.
Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients until well incorporated.
To assemble the salad, start by arranging the arugula in a wreath shape on a circular platter. Arrange endive on top, then add apple slices, crispy prosciutto, cranberries, parmesan and chopped candied walnuts. Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving. Enjoy!

NOTES

*Measuring ½ of an egg white is a bit tricky, but unless you want to make 3 cups worth of candied nuts, it's worth the effort. We weigh the egg white on a scale, then remove half. It doesn't have to be perfect – this recipe doesn't need much egg white to work.

If you're making this salad ahead of time, toss the apple slices in a small amount of lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The salad will start to get soggy the longer it sits.