Berr(y) this in mind…

Thanks to the amazing team of women and men at St. Anthony’s, who put together a delicious roast beef dinner last night. This was our first visit to this annual fundraiser, but it definitely won’t be our last. We hardly need more food after such a feast, and yet, here we are…time for breakfast!

IMG_1877.JPG

Ever-bearing local strawberries were in stores and stands this week, and we’re of two minds. When we were young, everything had a season, especially strawberries. When it was the right window, we ate strawberries in every conceivable form and fashion. Then we put up, jammed, froze, or canned as many as we could, for the other seasons.

This year we missed the traditional strawberry window, on account of the happy event of gaining a son-in-law. So we were sort of relieved to see another crop appearing in our local shop. They look delicious on this almond-y French toast, we think you might agree. But we must say, it seems a little of the magic is lost. The nip of fall is in the air. We’re turning our attention to beans, root vegetables and kale. True, they might not be as tasty on our morning toast…but we think it is a better idea not to press the seasons too far. With so much bounty to enjoy, we’re fans of the ever-unfolding mysteries of what we will find in the garden that needs to be eaten next.

We do eat more than breakfast. Really!

Looking over recent posts was very revealing. So much breakfast! Perhaps it is because that is when there is time to write. Who knows? So today, once again, a report on the start of the day.

The chill is in the air, a harbinger of fall. Heather and thistles bloom in the garden. I don’t want to face autumn, but it will come, regardless. So we might as well do it with a full tummy. This morning’s egg features mushrooms, some chopped chard and tarragon from our garden, and a little cheddar cheese. The jam on the toast is local, too…made here at home.

This isn’t our only meal of the day, though. Tonight we’ll be joining our friends at Ratinaud for Les Saucisses en Folie. Real local charcuterie…you can’t get much better. Perhaps a reason to love the end of summer, after all. Unfortunately tickets are sold out. But you can taste their delicious wares at the Kitchen Table on some Friday or Saturday soon, and we are sure they will be worth the wait.

IMG_1872.JPG

A Different Kind of Breakfast Grill…

20140804-082334-30214455.jpg

It’s the rainy Monday of a long weekend and we’ll be working to prep for the coming week. Something with a multitude of flavours should inspire us. We started with four slices of homemade whole wheat bread – nutty and tasty. We dipped these in a mixture of egg and milk (2 medium eggs and about half a cup or 125ml of 1% milk in our case). Our electric grill/griddle has both smooth and rippled plates so we heated it up with one of each in place. French toast on the flat side, and tasty local plums on the ridgy one. They might stick a little, but the flavour is fantastic.

Topped with a little maple syrup from our friends down the road at Acadian Maple Products, this was a sweet start to the day.

To our Nova Scotian friends, happy Natal Day. Happy Simcoe Day, Ontario….and for all of you celebrating some sort of holiday Monday, have a safe, fun holiday, however you spend it.

Dreaming up Ideas for a Leftover Feast

Yesterday we planned for a barbecue party…which is always a risk on a long weekend. Either the guest list will be feast, or famine. The low turnout means leftovers – a great opportunity for creativity. Couple that with an over abundant vegetable garden and our cooking imaginations are getting a fantastic workout.

On the menu this rainy Sunday morning: mushrooms and Swiss chard, sautéed in just a little butter. Then we tipped in a couple of medium eggs, beaten lightly. When the omelette could be folded, we topped it with a couple of cheddar slices (which also went down a treat on yesterday’s homemade burgers), covering the pan, just until they melted.

We served this delicious omelette on hamburger buns, spread with Kozlik’s Triple Crunch (secured on our last visit to Toronto) and topped with baby tomato slices. With a mug of hot Just Us! coffee on the side, we’re feeling pretty grateful about the whole start to today.

20140803-085245-31965926.jpg

Cornbread Chili Eggs Zip up Breakfast or Brunch

20140724-084817-31697416.jpg

Necessity is purported to be the mother of invention, but we contend it is leftovers. A couple of nights ago we whipped up a batch of delicious chili, accompanied by the requisite cornbread. Of course the chili can always go in the freezer, but the cornmeal muffins had been sitting on the counter, begging to be used. Because they’re a low fat version, they didn’t stay “moist” with a heavy dose of oil, like some types.

Breakfast provided a perfect opportunity. We sliced the muffins and put them on plates. Meanwhile, we heated the chili until it was bubbling, and dropped in an egg for each person. We let them simmer until they were nicely done, and served on top of the muffins. To quote the man, “yummy.”

Cherry Berry Muffins

We started our day with these delicious muffins (check the recipe pages) and a hot steaming mug of Full Steam Titanic 1912 coffee…a fantastic start to the day!

20140629-090351-32631277.jpg

Leftovers for Breakfast

After a fast walking round of golf on a hilly course yesterday, we were definitely hungry. So we took advantage of our garden produce and topped a whole wheat pizza crust (find out how in our recipes section) with a thin layer of homemade zucchini relish from our storag. Then a layer of spinach, chopped oregano, mushrooms, sliced radish, and green onions. A light sprinkle of feta and cheddar finished it – not so much that the veg would steam.

This morning the leftover slices made a great breakfast, topped with a perfectly poached egg.

20140621-092415-33855422.jpg

Off to a great start!

After an inspiring talk last night from the Shorefast Foundation’s Zita Cobb (thanks to the Community Foundation of NS) we were in a “change the world” mood when we got up. Our great start included 45 minutes of exercise (I admit I can feel Zita saying “get outside!”, or similar) and this breakfast…all local except the avocado. However, having heard that they successfully grew a melon on Fogo Island gives me hope that even that is possible.

What’s your great start today?

20140618-084210-31330611.jpg

Happy Father's Day, Dads!

We’ve just been going through albums looking at photos of our dads…and our kids with their dad. What a happy thing that is. But all that reminiscing was hard work, so we need a solid, manly breakfast. How about this? Leftover steak and mushroom pie from last night’s dinner…

20140615-080502-29102585.jpg

Delicious!

We can get some satisfaction

…from making real food at home. Today’s breakfast is whole wheat toast with jam we made last summer. Beside it, eggs scrambled with local farm peppers, mushrooms and celery, flavoured with tarragon and chives from our own garden.

20140610-080642-29202789.jpg

Today is off to a fantastic start!