Walk Widely. Eat Wisely. Live Gratefully.
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…
Delicious!
…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.
Today is off to a fantastic start!
Yesterday was a hectic day – lots of meetings, running around, and a restaurant lunch. So by the time we returned home we were crangry (hungry and cranky)! We needed food that was healthy, easy, and quick. In less than the time to call for delivery, we made this delicious pizza from scratch. We used our usual crust recipe, but with 100% whole wheat flour, instead of half and half.
The added bonus? It makes enough for dinner for two, and leftovers for today’s lunch. On top, we used homemade zucchini relish, some feta, cheddar, red peppers, mushrooms, olives, and a little prosciutto. Tasty!
We were in town yesterday for some errands, a visit to Fred, lunch, and a stop at Highland Drive. We were planning a nice mushroom risotto, but once we bought these delicious-looking pork chops we were tempted to rearrange the meal plan. The threat of rain in the forecast sealed the deal. On the side: local veg salad. Sometimes simple is simply the best.
It all started with a trip to the market yesterday, where we bought some delicious-looking bacon from Sweet Williams…
The great thing about really nice bacon (instead of cheap, mass-produced bacon) is that there is a lot of flavour in a single, beautiful slice. Paired with some hot mustard, tomato, and egg…you have the makings of a tasty breakfast.
Make the egg runny, or not, as is your taste. Assemble and enjoy.
Halifax’s Brewery Market was full of fantastic things today – with the benefit of hothouses or a slightly milder microclimate than ours, their lettuce and spinach were way ahead. So after a blueberry muffin we picked up the delicious greens you see here. Then we hurried home to start transplanting, now that we finally are receiving some sun and milder temperatures.
When lunchtime rolled around, we topped the greens with a local apple – these are getting to the end of their useful lives now – some Cendré de Lune cheese, walnuts, and a vinaigrette of Dijon, sherry vinegar, olive oil, and tiny spoonful of maple syrup. By next week our own spinach and lettuce will be starting their picking cycle.
Next: more seeding and some flowers for the boxes…
Happy gardening (or eating). Either way, thank a farmer.
These melts had us grinning like Cheshire cats…probably because of the cheese. We made a tuna salad, substituting Dijon for half the mayo, and dicing in a tomato. All this went on top of toasted flax bread, with a grate of Cheshire cheese to top it off.
Under the broiler, and we were done. Lunch for two in under ten minutes, and delicious, as well!
The cold, damp weather made for an uninspiring grilling day yesterday, so instead, we thought we would make some Salisbury steak from our ground beef. A check of the larder revealed sufficient missing ingredients that we needed to improvise.
We started by putting 2 diced potatoes to boil – peel on, as they are great that way for a rustic mash.
We made two patties with lean ground beef (8 oz for two), a minced clove of garlic and a few tablespoons of minced onion (shallot if you’ve got it!) We cooked these in a tiny amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan, medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. Then they went on a plate in a 250F oven while we finished the sauce…
In the pan, sauté about 1/3 of an onion (diced) with a diced sweet pepper, until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 c (125ml) marinara and red wine, and bring to a simmer. Slip the patties into the sauce, cover, and simmer long enough to steam some peas as a side dish. Turn the patties, mash the potatoes, and serve.
Comforting food on a chilly day.
We kept them warm
After watching California Chrome win yesterday’s Preakness, I had California on my mind when it came to dreaming up a long-weekend breakfast idea.
A ripe avocado sealed the deal. On a toasted English muffin, we layered the avocado…mashed with a little lime juice and chopped cilantro. Next, a handful of frozen corn, toasted in a nonstick pan…with diced tomato added at the last second to warm through.
Then, a poached egg…with lime juice in the water instead of vinegar…and finally, a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash Chipotle seasoning, although any chili powder would do in a pinch.
Yummy!
Although our garden is just beginning to spring to life, hothouse tomatoes are appearing from local farms, giving way to this delicious breakfast.
For two, we split two whole-wheat English muffins, and placed them on a parchment-lined, broiler pan for easy cleanup. Under the broiler they went, just until the cheese was crispy. We weren’t too tidy with the cheese, just so we would have leftover crispings to sprinkle on top.
Meanwhile we diced a large tomato and some parsley into a nonstick pan and heated until bubbly. We cracked in four medium eggs and lidded the lot, poaching til done.
After spooning the eggs on top of the muffins, we sprinkled with some dry mustard and the cheese crispings.
Eat up!
