3.27.2011

Sunday in the kitchen

I carry with me many fond memories from my childhood of travelling the Huron County countryside to get food directly from the hands that grew it. I mean, I grew up in Hensall which is surrounded by some of the most fertile agricultural land in Ontario, so it wasn't a real stretch to find local sources for the staples that fed us. Being a small village, connecting with local producers was pretty easy. Every fall, we made our way to the local potato farmer to get our winter's share of potatoes - for a family of seven, that was a heck of a lot of potatoes! Sunday mornings after church, us kids were sent on a mission (all on our own, no less!) across town to get eggs from the woman who raised chickens in her backyard. Getting fresh corn on the cob was just a short drive out to the highway market stand where customers helped themselves and were trusted to leave their money in a bucket. We all know things have changed. But I can't help but feel a little nostalgic for the days when we not only knew where our food came from, but we knew personally who grew it. This has raised in me a bit of a passion for local food. And I'm not the only one - even supermarkets are listening to consumers demands for an increased connection to what they are putting in their shopping carts. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see, after a long, hard winter, local hothouse peppers and tomatoes at the grocery store this morning! Soon Farmer's Markets will reappear and soon we will be working in our own garden as we are planning to grow a lot of our own vegetables this summer. In fact, I uncovered some oregano growing in the garden last week before the snow covered it up again!
Pair this with the local peppers and tomatoes I had just purchased, add some Pine River cheese that is back in grocery stores and the local eggs we had just received, and you have yourself a pretty yummy, and a pretty local frittata!
Frittata
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper
1 tomato
1 tbsp fresh oregano
8 eggs
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C milk
salt and pepper to taste
In a cast iron skillet, heat oil before adding diced onion and garlic. Fry until translucent. Add red pepper and continuing cooking. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, oregano and salt and pepper. Pour into frying pan. Lay sliced tomato on egg mixture. Place in oven preheated to 350F. Bake for about 20 minutes, until eggs are cooked. Once set, broil for a couple minutes - just enough to brown top. 
What's cooking in your kitchen?

3.13.2011

Sunday in the kitchen

I got the heck out of the kitchen this week...
That's right, we finally got the heck out of town! Out of Huron County! And into the big city! So nice to get away - to let someone else cook! So nice to find a restaurant that serves just what we're looking for - vegan pancakes to be exact, with a side of freshly squeezed juice. Oh Fresh - you never disappoint! We left with full tummies and headed off to the Art Gallery of Ontario to enjoy an afternoon of art, culture, exploration, inspiration. A lovely kick-off to a great week ahead!


3.11.2011

this moment

From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

3.06.2011

Sunday in the kitchen

I've been trying hard to not let this over-the-top winter get the best of me. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy those frequent snow days that came our way back in December. And we've had lots of fun tobogganing, hiking, building snow forts, and all of those fun winter activities, but I haven't been out of Goderich in several weeks and I have a bad case of cabin fever! The weather has been so unpredictable this season that we've been hesitant to make plans that involved any sort of travel. But when we were invited to join family and friends in Bayfield for a night of great music with Denmark's A Friend in London, we jumped at the opportunity to get the heck out of town! The forecast leading up to the weekend was very promising - rain for Saturday with temperatures well above 0C. No worries! Babysitter booked! Ready to go! Wait...not so fast! Remember, this is Huron County. A land where winter plays such cruel tricks that it will bring rain to wash away the snow one minute, before blowing in enough snow to make the roads impassable. Twice we got bundled up to see if we could make our way 15 minutes down the road. Twice we decided it wasn't worth the risk. Foiled again by Ole Man Winter! But all was not lost as we did enjoy a lovely evening in town with good friends, good drinks, and entertaining karaoke!


What's up with that delicious looking pie overlooking the freshly fallen snow? And how exactly does it relate to my winter whining, you ask? So disappointed that winter had dumped on our heads again I made a desperate trail to the grocery store this morning for something, anything, that looked like and tasted like spring. Even if it travelled all the way from Mexico - desperate times call for desperate measures!
 Strawberry Coconut Cream Pie
1 can of coconut milk 
1/4 C rice syrup
1/3 C shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp arrowroot starch
Sliced strawberries - enough to cover top of pie
In a medium saucepan, whisk together above ingredients and bring to a boil over med/high heat. Whisk frequently. Cook until thickened. Let cool at room temperature before pouring into pie crust. Top with strawberries and refrigerate about 1 hour. You can use your favourite pie crust recipe, but for this pie I tried a new crust recipe from Jonsi (another Scandinavian musical genius!) and Alex. It is, perhaps, the best pie crust I have ever tasted! I subbed the almonds for sunflower seeds which worked out really well! Love their recipe videos so much! http://jonsiandalex.com/recipes Oh, and you'll be in for a real musical treat by checking out the music videos too!