Tag: local

Our (Toast) Cup Runneth Over

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What a weekend! Yesterday we installed the first of two new cold frames in the garden. We’re very excited to see what produce we’ll be able to grow in the first year of this new plot. Certainly we have many, many seedlings started, but the wild card will be the animals. No more raccoons, but certainly squirrels, crows, and we hear, deer.

After a day of house and yard work, it was a perfect evening of barbecue with good friends. We’ve awoken to a glorious sunny day with the sun glinting off the bay. How can you feel anything but grateful. So in celebration, a special breakfast – toast cups with tarragon mustard, Cavicchi’s sausage, jumbo poached egg, and some sliced tomato. Bring on the gardening!

Out to Pasture

It’s coming! Spring has nearly sprung. Today we were at the Halifax Seaport Market and picked up a delicious steak from Pasture Hill Farm. That, with a few blue fingerlings and a salad seemed like it would be a heavenly choice. We were just tallying up our purchases and we spotted them: local grape tomatoes from Den Haan’s. I wish there was a recipe here, but this is it: grill steak, boil potato, make salad, dream of sprong

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Eating the Dragon

20130303-121926.jpg. Last night was The Man’s birthday and we celebrated with a prime rib roast. Today, the leftovers are in a redux of last week’s grilled salad:

Per plate:

Two good handfuls of baby greens
60-120g of sliced roast beef
Drizzling of sun-dried tomato dressing
15-30 ml of Dragon’s Breath Blue, crumbled over top

Nothing left to do but to enjoy!

A Smooth Sendoff…with a Kick!

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One of the best ways to up your personal productivity is to get the day off to a good start, and that means eating breakfast. I know, that seems easier said than done, but here is a great smoothie for two that takes almost no time, and will put a little spice in your step:

500ml/2c frozen berries
500ml/2c plain no fat organic yogurt
250ml/1c 1% milk
30ml/2T Justus Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate mix

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Thanks to the folks at Justus coffee for getting us off and running!
http://www.justuscoffee.com/

…You've Gotta Break a Few Eggs

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We got up early yesterday…lots to do! We fueled up with a delicious omelette – all fresh and local. Eggs, a yellow pepper, green onions, shiitakes, and a little shred of cheddar.

Eggs with a Smoky Crunch

20121103-101011.jpg One of the tastiest things we have added to our new local menu since moving is smoked salmon. Here in Nova Scotia there is a plentiful supply! This morning, we mixed some flaked smoked salmon with cream cheese, spread it on a whole-wheat English muffin (made right here!) along with some grainy mustard, and topped it with a free-range egg. What a way to start the day. Yum!

And Today's Local Feature is…Takeout!

Gratefully, packing day has arrived, and we’re glad to be having someone else take care of the work. After all the sorting and separating, we’re bushed! Fortunately we have someone local to take care of the food, too: our local pizzeria, Colombo’s. Real Italian, made with love.

Shiitake Special Pizza

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When this pizza came out of the oven, it looked almost too beautiful to cut! We started with a whole wheat crust (find out how in our recipe pages). Then we turned to the pantry and last summer’s canning for ideas. A little salsa for the first layer, topped with slices of roasted red pepper. After that, half a shallot, thinly sliced, and the caps of a plethora of baby shiitakes from Waymac Farms, by way of our local farmers’ market. Then, to top it off, some aged cheddar and mozzarella from Black River Cheese. We’re so glad we can buy it just down the street at Better Bulk!

Cut it we did, by the way, and ate it with gusto.

A Little Lamb

20120704-095152.jpg Yesterday was a slow, sultry day, the kind where salad is the best option for any meal.

We had a bit of leftover roast lamb (the roast came from the East Lynn Farmers’ Market, just down the street) and a small chunk of feta (from Better Bulk) begging to be used. So we put this salad together:

15ml/1T each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, whisked together in a medium bowl
A good handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
90g/3oz of diced cooked lamb
6 black olives, pitted and chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
250ml/1c broccoli florets

Our lamb had been roasted in a coating of Dijon; otherwise add about 5ml/1t of that to the dressing as well. Toss the vegetables and lamb in the vinaigrette. Serve on a bed of:

500ml/2c romaine

Over the top of the salads, sprinkle:

30g/1oz feta, crumbled

Serves 2

A Long Day's Dinner

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We took a well-deserved day off on Friday, golfing in beautiful Northumberland. Then we visited friends in Kingston and took the slow road home through Prince Edward County, including a few winery stops and a delicious lunch at East and Main in Wellington.

By the time we arrived home, though, all we wanted was a simple meal and a rest. This is what we cooked up: a stalk of celery, a small onion and a garlic scape, sautéed with a diced chicken breast. To that we added a splash of wine and a couple of diced fresh tomatoes. With a few ribbons of basil from the garden, it was a relaxing and satisfying meal. There’s no place like home.