So long, sweet summer days! The cool, smokiness is in the air and I am finding myself noticing the shorter daylight hours -- a lot more java going down at both work and home LOL!
I like to cook one "home style", full-course meal a week for my children and today I am going to make BBQ ribs. My method follows that of my dear Momma -- par-cooking the meat in seasoned pot of water and then slow-roasting in the oven. The result is lower in fat, and fall-off-the-bone delicious.
A salad using fresh garden tomatoes and herbs will accompany; along with some baked potatoes and all the fixings (fresh chives, sour cream etc.).
Not sure of dessert yet, but I know that I am looking forward to sipping some Limoncello apres diner and perhaps engaging my girls in a game of full contact Scrabble - ah, BRAIN WARS! Fun to exercise our mental muscle :)
I will post my BBQ recipe and meat seasonings/par-cook method a bit later. Time to hit the supermarket for a few things. xo
Showing posts with label fresh herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fresh herbs. Show all posts
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Autumn Beckons!
Brrrrr...ing on the HEAT!
Oh we prairie dogs who love the hot summer are cowering in our burrows today! Don't be fooled by the celestial blue skies and cotton ball clouds outside your office window, the wind is brisk and smells like harvest time. Where did our summer go?
Bake-A-Thon
Over the weekend I was caught in this crazy pattern of baking to warm the home (emotionally and physically) -- heating my small kitchen and filling the place with aromas of toasty oats, cinnamon and such! On the roster were oat and flax scones (part of my cool-the-hot-flash-dragon nutritional remedy!), flourless peanut butter cookies and (drum roll, the ole family staple) banana nut bread with chocolate chips.
Herbal or Horrible
Given the choice, I chose herbal -- I ventured to my small, rain-sodden herb garden and gathered fistfuls of basil and oregano to fashion an Italian-inspired salad to take to friends on Sunday evening. Mesclan greens, fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, garden market bell peppers, home-made (ultra garlicky) croutons and a vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and olive oil! All devoured within seconds at the "receiving end" of its short life journey. And then, as we prepared to go home and rest for the next work week, the delinquent sun made a "neener neener" appearance!
Oh we prairie dogs who love the hot summer are cowering in our burrows today! Don't be fooled by the celestial blue skies and cotton ball clouds outside your office window, the wind is brisk and smells like harvest time. Where did our summer go?
Bake-A-Thon
Over the weekend I was caught in this crazy pattern of baking to warm the home (emotionally and physically) -- heating my small kitchen and filling the place with aromas of toasty oats, cinnamon and such! On the roster were oat and flax scones (part of my cool-the-hot-flash-dragon nutritional remedy!), flourless peanut butter cookies and (drum roll, the ole family staple) banana nut bread with chocolate chips.
Herbal or Horrible
Given the choice, I chose herbal -- I ventured to my small, rain-sodden herb garden and gathered fistfuls of basil and oregano to fashion an Italian-inspired salad to take to friends on Sunday evening. Mesclan greens, fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, garden market bell peppers, home-made (ultra garlicky) croutons and a vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and olive oil! All devoured within seconds at the "receiving end" of its short life journey. And then, as we prepared to go home and rest for the next work week, the delinquent sun made a "neener neener" appearance!
Monday, October 5, 2009
October 5, 2009
Montreal! Je t'aime!
Back at home with my kids after a few days of work meetings in Montreal. This was the first time that I have spent some serious time in that fabulous city -- before this all I knew of Montreal were stopovers while changing planes!
What a great vibe Montrealers have -- they are warm, welcoming and invariably speak this uber-cool "franglais", easily slipping between the English and French words.
We stayed at the Queen Elizabeth (part of the Fairmont hotel chain today) and -- unbeknownst to me, this was the site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous "love-in" back in the day :) Pretty cool, as many of my roads are leading to Yoko it seems!
Highlights of our stay were numerous -- especially dear were the hospitality and generousity of our Montreal business contacts. Breakfast at Fuchsia on Sunday was a delight for all of the senses -- like edible fine art, polenta delicately flavoured with fresh herbs was topped with a fried egg, bacon and a giant caper the size of an olive -- all in a sweet antique-style mason jar and accompanied by a salad of seasonal greens and flowers (marigolds, roses etc...). Yum and double yum -- all of my senses were singing an angelic chorus! Our drive up to Mount Royal and viewpoints of the city from the hill were breaktaking.
Bagel Baby!
Oh, and I must not forget the famous Fairmount Bagels -- no, not Fairmont, Fairmount... this is in the Jewish district of Montreal and is not related to the Queen Elizabeth in any way.
The quaint but immaculately tidy shop cranks out a variety of bagels 24/7 and our favourite were the sesame ones. Warm from the oven, without cream cheese, they are delectable -- moister, slightly sweet and less doughy than their New York cousins, these are a new addition to my list of best loved foods!
Our friend recommended cream cheese, lox and fresh sliced tomatoes and the combination was mouth-watering. He also suggested that the addition of raw onion was nice, if you like onion -- next time perhaps! (... because I know there just has to be a next time!)
Back at home with my kids after a few days of work meetings in Montreal. This was the first time that I have spent some serious time in that fabulous city -- before this all I knew of Montreal were stopovers while changing planes!
What a great vibe Montrealers have -- they are warm, welcoming and invariably speak this uber-cool "franglais", easily slipping between the English and French words.
We stayed at the Queen Elizabeth (part of the Fairmont hotel chain today) and -- unbeknownst to me, this was the site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous "love-in" back in the day :) Pretty cool, as many of my roads are leading to Yoko it seems!
Highlights of our stay were numerous -- especially dear were the hospitality and generousity of our Montreal business contacts. Breakfast at Fuchsia on Sunday was a delight for all of the senses -- like edible fine art, polenta delicately flavoured with fresh herbs was topped with a fried egg, bacon and a giant caper the size of an olive -- all in a sweet antique-style mason jar and accompanied by a salad of seasonal greens and flowers (marigolds, roses etc...). Yum and double yum -- all of my senses were singing an angelic chorus! Our drive up to Mount Royal and viewpoints of the city from the hill were breaktaking.
Bagel Baby!
Oh, and I must not forget the famous Fairmount Bagels -- no, not Fairmont, Fairmount... this is in the Jewish district of Montreal and is not related to the Queen Elizabeth in any way.
The quaint but immaculately tidy shop cranks out a variety of bagels 24/7 and our favourite were the sesame ones. Warm from the oven, without cream cheese, they are delectable -- moister, slightly sweet and less doughy than their New York cousins, these are a new addition to my list of best loved foods!
Our friend recommended cream cheese, lox and fresh sliced tomatoes and the combination was mouth-watering. He also suggested that the addition of raw onion was nice, if you like onion -- next time perhaps! (... because I know there just has to be a next time!)
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