People may think there is nothing uniquely Canadian when it comes to recipes. Of course there is and I'm not just writing about Smarties, Clamato and those other famous brands. Definitely not what has become known as Canadian back bacon either. That's something that seems to be started by Americans. Back bacon has been around a long time and it's not just a Canadian thing.

Anyway, for those who want to cook up something Canadian here are two recipes. The first is from online and the second is from my sister.

Original Canadian Tourtiere - Yield: 6 Servings

1/2 lb Ground pork 1/2 lb Ground veal 1/3 c Chopped onion 1/3 c Water 1/4 ts White pepper 1 ts Salt 1/4 ts Ground cloves 1/4 ts Cinnamon 1/4 ts Celery salt 1/4 ts Savory 1 To 2 potatoes,boiled and -mashed 1 Pastry for 8" double-crust -pie

Preheat oven to 425F. Place pork, veal, onion and water in a saucepan. Simmer until colour changes. Adding seasonings; simmer for a little longer. Thoroughly drain meat. Mix in mashed potatoes. Fit bottom pastry into 8" pie plate. Fill with meat mixture. Cover with top crust. Seal edges as desired and vent top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 10 minutes; lower oven temperature to 400F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Serves 6 Note: If you prefer a spicier tourtiere increase seasonings to your taste.

Nainaimo Bars - Yield: 24

1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 4 tbsp cocoa powder 2 cup Graham wafer crumbs 1 cup coconut 1/2 cup nuts, chopped 1/4 cup butter 3 tbsp milk 2 tbsp vanilla custard powder (or pudding powder) 2 cups Icing sugar 4 squares of chocolate (semi-sweet) 1 tsp butter

Mix the 1/2 cup butter, sugar, egg and cocoa. Set over boiling water and stir until mixture resembles custard. Combine crumbs, coconut and nuts. Combine with the butter/sugar mixture, blend well. Spread and press into a 9x9 inch pan. Cream the 1/4 cup butter, milk, custard powder and icing sugar. Spread over mixture in pan. Melt chocolate over hot water: add butter and blend well. Spread over the icing. Let set. Chill and keep refrigerated.