LiamMather.com

Author: Liam

  • Lemon-garlic whip dip

    Lemon-garlic whip dip

    Prep time

    3 mins

    Cook time

    0

    Serves

    Yields 1/2 cup

    This one came about in one swoop while testing a recipe for pork arayes – I didn’t have greek yogurt or tahini to make the sauce the receipe called for… but did have cottage cheese and Google…

    Anyway, the whole dip is about is about 115 kcals and packs 13.5 grams of protien. Low fat (about 2.7 grams total) and low carbohydrates (5.5 grams of sugars, but that’s mostly coming from the lactose). It’s gonna kill some pork, chicken, or be a decent dressing for a hearty salad… even the little man liked it.

    What do you need?

    • 250 mls (1/2 cup) of 2% (or higher) cottage cheese
    • 1 (VERY generous) tablespoon of flaked parsley (or go fresh; play around with this if you’re a parsley fan)
    • 2 (and a splash) tablespoons of lemon juice
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced

    What do you do?

    • Blend the cottage cheese until as smooth as yogurt (maybe 2 to 3 mins)
    • Mix in remaining ingredients

    And you’re done.

  • Locked in National Championships

    Locked in National Championships

    Part of a series of posts on little man’s Road to Edmonton.

    He did it!

    Little man secured his spot on Karate Nova Scotia‘s 2026 Provincial Team in the Under 14 Kata and Kumite (sub 40 kg category) events, We’ll all be traveling to Edmonton this May for Karate Canada‘s National Championships (first time, if anyone has recommendations for us).

    Goes without saying, this will be the little man’s largest tournament, but he’s in good company with nine of the 25 member, cross-province team coming from the Halifax Ryuseikan dojo – including a dojo-mate making his second appearance at nationals and who will be competing in the same events. See the full team announcement on Karate Nova Scotia’s news page.

    But, this isn’t our first experience with a Karate Canada Nationals. Both the little man and I volunteered with the 2026 Senior and Under 21 National Championships hosted in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I had a role on the host committee, notably some VIP hosting activities and generating some media coverage for the event. At the final Karate Nova Scotia Grand Prix of the season, both Kingsley and I were recognized along with many of the volunteers who helped make the National Championships a reality – thanks Karate NS for the volunteer medals and the recognition, it was very appreciated.

    Little man did note that volunteering was helpful in terms of seeing what a formal, national-level competition looks like. Good experience to have before taking the titami for that first kata in May.

    So here’s to the next step in the journey.

  • Road to Edmonton – Fundraisers

    Road to Edmonton – Fundraisers

    Part of a series of posts on little man’s Road to Edmonton.

    As many of you might be tracking, the little man is on his epic year-long quest for to be named to the Karate Nova Scotia Junior Provincial Team and earn a spot in both the Under 14 Kata and Kumite events at Karate Canada‘s Junior National Karate Championship in Edmonton, May 2026.

    Part of this effort requires some fundraising (you can read about the fundraising purposes on the Karate Nova Scotia provincial team page) which is where some of you might come in. I’ll be sharing a few of the fundraisers here over the next bit. Comments are disabled on this post – if you have questions easiest to contact me.

    Featured fundraiser

    We’re done fundraising for the season

    Karate Canada’s 2026 National Championships are in May at the Edmonton Expo Centre. We’ll keep you posted on the website or my Instagram if little man will be joining the team. Visit the Shore Line section of the website for latest news.

    Past or ongoing fundraisers

    Fruits of Victory with Bishop’s Cellar

    Bishop’s Cellar has joined the Karate Nova Scotia Provincial Team support with a custom coupon code. 10% of pre-tax total on all website orders between March 30 through April 6.

    To support out little man, use coupon code Kingsley at check out.

    Closed

    Fuel the fight with Mitchell’s Soup Co.

    This fundraising is all about keeping you fueled right – with delicious soup mixes from Mitchell’s Soups Co. See the brochure for full list of available soups.

    $12 per soup or bundle 3 for $30. Orders and payment due April 5.

    Closed

    Up to a Grand in your Hand

    It’s a 50/50, you’re just “reserving” your ticket in advance. $10 for each ticket. Webpage explains it all, We’ll get an email when you select the little man (and Tash will coordinate the money with you for the draw).

    Sold out
  • Shaggy bread

    Shaggy bread

    Prep time

    30 mins of work

    3 hrs for proofing

    Cook time

    35 mins

    Serves

    Makes a loaf of bread

    This was a fun one that little man and I found on Instagram and decided to give it a go. A decidedly easy bread to make, low ingredients… perfect if you’re doing chores at home on a rainy day (because of the dough proofing time mostly).

    What do you need?

    Quick tip: for best results when baking bread use weight measurements versus cups/spoons. I didn’t have a kitchen scale when I first made this so I’ve added those measurements which work out pretty alright.

    • 500g (or about 4 cups) of bread flour
    • 350g (or about 1.5 cups) of room temp water
    • 10g (or about 1 and 3/4 tsp) of salt
    • 7g (or about 2 and 1/4 tsp) instant yeast

    What do you do?

    • Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius (or about 395 Fahrenheit).
    • In a bowl, mix all ingredients into a shaggy dough, remove from bowl and knead for 5 to 10 minutes to shape it into a smooth ball.
    • Put some oil and rub it around the bowl, then return your dough to the bowl and cover until it doubles in size (about 1.5 hours, but really look for it to double, could take more or less time).
    • Once doubled, remove dough from bowl and knead into a rectangle shape.
    • Loosely roll it into a sausage, tucking in the corners as it goes.
    • Rub some oil around a loaf tin, pop that sausage dough into it, cover and let sit until it doubles in size (dust it with some flour if you wanna be fancy) this can take about 30 minutes to an hour (again, keep an eye on it; don’t let it rise too much)
    • Once doubled, score the loaf down the middle with a knife for style and toss in the oven for 30 minutes. Add a pan with some water in it to the bottom rack to keep the bread from drying out.
    • Remove after 30 minutes, take the loaf out of the tin and put back in the oven (directly on the rack) to let finish for another 5 minutes or so (this gives you a nice crust all around the bread).
    • Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes.

    And you’re done… once you turn the oven off and clean things.