Marsha Mehran escaped the Iranian revolution and the heroines of her stories have done the same.  I was drawn to this book and it’s sequel (unfortunately I read them the wrong way around) initially because of the culinary theme but found many other connections to the narrative.  Both stories are about three sisters and their sometimes opposite reactions to the same circumstances of life.

They run a little cafe together in a community in western Ireland, a place that I fell deeply in love with when we traveled through it a couple of springs ago.  Our most northern stop was Galway which is still south of County Mayo where the action takes place.

But wandering the streets of Galway and experiencing their commerce and culinary scene has allowed me to create what I think is a realistic mental picture of life for the sisters.  Here are a couple of my favourite excerpts from the first of the two novels.

Chapter 4, page 62

At only nine in the morning the kitchen was already pregnant to its capacity, every crevice and countertop overtaken by Marjan’s gourmet creations.  Marinating vegetables (torshis of mango, eggplant and the regular seven-spice variety), packed to the briny brims of five-gallon see-through canisters, sat on the kitchen island.  Large blue bowls filled with salads (angelica lentil, tomato, cucumber and mint, Persian fried chicken), dolmeh, and dips (cheese and walnut) yoghurt and cucumber, baba ganoush, and spicy hummus), which, along with feta, Stilton and cheddar cheese, were covered and stacked in the enormous glass-door refrigerator.  Opposite the refrigerator stood the colossal brick bread oven.  Baking away in its domed belly was the last of the sangak bread loaves, three feet long and counting, rising in golden crests and graced with scatterings of poppy and nigella seed.  The rest of the bread (paper-thin lavash) crusty barbari, slabs of sangak as well as the usual white sliced loaf) was already covered with comforting cheesecloth to keep the freshness in.  And simmering on the stove, under Marjan’s loving orders, was a small pot of white onion (not to be mistaken for the French variety, for this version boasts dried fenugreek leaves and pomegranate paste), the last pot of red lentil soup and a larger pt of abguhst.  An extravaganza of lamb, split peas, and potatoes, abguhst always reminded Marjan of early spring nights in Iran, when the cherry blossoms still shivered with late frosts and the piping samavors helped washed down the saffron and dried lime aftertaste with strong, black Darjeeling tea.

And then just further along on Page 64

So this was how love was supposed to feel, Layla thought, like the ecstatic cries of a pomegranate as it realizes the knife’s thrust, the caesarean labor of juicy seeds cut from her inner womb.  Like the gleeful laugh of oil as it corrupts the watery flour, the hot grease blending the batter to its will and creating a greater sweetness from the process-zulbia, the sugary fried fritters she loved so.  Falling in love was amazing.  Why hadn’t anyone ever told her so?

Kath’s quote: “And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.” –Exodus 28:33-34

Love-that is all.

I was reading through a blog post from last week and realized that I had not posted a recipe which I had promised.  This turned out to be one of the hits at the recent baby shower that Daughter #2 hosted for the Wee One.

I find it mighty hard to leave all this behind.

Truth is, the appetizer was a bit of a fluke.  I wanted to do some of my prep while out at the beach house to lessen my responsibilities once I got into town.  So I  snooped around the freezer and found a pound of bacon.  I discovered that I still had some California figs left when the producers graciously sent them to me.  I tried a ricotta at first with no success-too mild and impossible to stuff without a pastry bag so I rattled around a little more in the fridge and found this deliciously salty cheese that I was going to brown in a fry pan and serve with taco chips.  Best of all, it was firm enough to be cut into little sticks and then pressed into the fig with ease.

So quick, easy and SO delicious.

Kath’s quote: “Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”-Doug Larson

Love-that is all.

My month at our beach house is winding down.  My time has been exciting and hectic and relaxing and mellow, in turn.  We got to entertain the Frenchman’s family and spend lots of snuggly time with our new grandbaby.  We have also enjoyed wonderful visits with our extended family, a circumstance that I cherish in particular.  Sometimes it is an impromptu coffee, other times an invited dinner and my favourite of all-happy hour when we all assemble, (sometimes by invitation and other times, not) on someone’s deck around a plate of munchies that the host cottage has typically provided.

We also love to go out for lunches and suppers together.  Le Gouter at Albert Beach has exceptional food.  We love their hand-made burgers, hand-cut fries (especially when topped with real curds  for their authentic poutine) and their ham and Swiss crepes with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce.

The Grand Beach Diner is supposed to be good but every time I try to go there, they are closed.  So I have yet to sample their fare.

I understand that the South Beach Casino serves a wonderful seafood buffet on Thursday evenings.  Family have gone but I have yet to give it a try.  And now that my time is running out, it is unlikely that I will.

One place that we have been going to for years and enjoyed a couple of times again this summer is the Birchwood Motor Hotel.  We like to sit on the screen in porch which overlooks the sand volleyball courts.  This place is designated for smokers which is not terribly pleasant for us but, you sometimes have to take the bad with the good.  A big outdoor grill is placed in one corner of the porch.  On Wednesday nights they feature a Barbequed steak with grilled onions and mushrooms, Cole slaw, roll, baked potato AND a beer or glass of wine!  On Thursday evenings there are the same accompaniments but the feature is big meaty barbequed beef ribs.  The value of both is exceptional.  When we were leaving last week, the live entertainment was just warming up.

Suppers out while at the lake give us an excuse to gather but also to avoid turning the oven on when days are hot and best yet, not doing any dishes which means we can head to the beach for sunset, get back into our books or catch another TV episode on Netflix.  Ahh, lake life!

Kath’s quote: “The smell of roasting meat together with that of burning fruit wood and dried herbs, as voluptuous as incense in a church, is enough to turn anyone into a budding gastronome.”-Claudia Roden

Love-that is all.

My husband’s family once resided in Transcona and every time we drove to his families’ home, he would observe and remark about all the changes along Regent Ave.  Now that the family has dispersed all over Canada and the US, we rarely make the trek.  Somehow though, “Downtown” Transcona has retained its small town charm.  Right in the centre of it all is L’Arche Tova, a special café that will captivate you.  Upon arrival, a number of servers came over in turn, to ensure that we had whatever we needed.  We were introduced to one “assistant” in particular.  He is a participant in L’Arche’s alternate Day Program and his smile and enthusiasm was contagious.  He is one of the reasons that the café exists.  You may be familiar with the incredible work of L’Arche Winnipeg.  Their mission is “to create homes with people who have an intellectual disability”.

My lunch date (J2’s Mom) had visited the café before and could attest to the quality of the Double Decker sandwich, and the “made on premise” strudel and cheesecake.  The latter, she exclaimed was “amazing”!  We asked our server to help us decide what to order.  He immediately recommended the Savoury Crepe and so my selection was made.  Crepe-making is a fine art and these were delicate and yet sturdy enough to be stuffed full of a hearty bacon, ham and cheese blend.

Truth is, our server was the dashingly handsome eldest brother of our daughter-in-law J2!  He is a talented musician with an enormous heart.  He does a beautiful job of interacting with the day-program attendees.

The burger my companion ordered and I tasted, comprised of a hand-formed patty that had been pressed while cooking on a flat-top grill.  I appreciate this extra touch, because I enjoy a patty with a crunchy exterior.  The salad that accompanied it was topped with a house dressing that was light and lemony.  We loved every morsel and were certainly satisfied to go on our way, but my lunch date mentioned that I should really try the German potato salad the next time that I visited.

Not knowing when that might be, we decided to order it for dessert!

The kitchen is adeptly staffed by members of the Kildonan East Culinary Arts program.  The food is of such high quality that you cannot imagine what additional training will produce.

Breakfast and Lunch Menu available Monday-Saturday 8 am – 2 pm.  Important to note that they are closed for staff holidays from August 18-31, 2013.

Kath’s quote: “Love is a fire of flaming brandy upon a crepe suzette”-10cc

Love-that is all.

For many years, Daughter #2 has been dubbed, a little Martha Stewart (even before the term might be considered derogatory).  Her recent efforts to celebrate the birth of her first niece (my first Grandbaby) beautifully demonstrated her creative talents.  She started with the thought “You Are My Sunshine” even before we knew the sex of Wee One and she set the date before the bundle of joy came into the world.  The tumultuous weather of late, made us all a tad nervous about whether we would have to change locales.

In the end, the grey clouds parted and the sun shone brightly on the day (just like song lyrics that were her selected theme).

Here she is with her Grandma (our Mom) wearing yellow, of course.

This is her other Grandma cuddling with Wee One.

Her yellow colour theme was beautiful against the lush green after the recent rains.

She thought of everything including a Dream book for the baby, where we all recorded our hopes and dreams for Wee One.

The big hit was the opportunity for us all to demonstrate our artistic abilities.  She purchased onsies in various sizes along with socks and bibs and we were invited to decorate them to ensure that Wee One has a funky wardrobe.

She had set up a double clothesline in advance where the articles could be pinned while the paint dried.  This also gave us a gallery to admire each other’s handiwork.

Were the refreshments good, you ask?  She had thoughtfully put out huge urns and red and white sangria, along with a berry punch.

She recruited the three sisters to provide the savouries.

She wanted everything to be served at once and had designated the gazebo to be the food and beverage station.

This meant that we could all participate in the festivities, with the exception of Sister #3 who somehow got stuck keeping the yellow jackets away from the food.  At least the pesky yellow insects came appropriately attired!

The savoury menu included:

An array of garden party cucumber rolls up, cherry, carmelized onion, goat cheese bruschetta  and her infamous phyllo wrapped asparagus were provided by Sister #2,

along with her spicy pork tenderloin which is delicious cold.

Sister #3 made from-scratch Humus (including peelinge every single chick pea), Baba Ganesh with baked pita chips,

Prosciutto and Parmesan Palmiers,

and these gorgeous Antipasto Skewers which were as delicious as they looked.

I provided a stack of Artichoke Nibblers,

Cauliflower Strudel, Chili-Rubbed Shrimp

and what turned out to be a new favourite: Bacon-Wrapped, Cheese-Stuffed Figs.   I am going to provide the recipe for these in a subsequent post and if you would like any of the others, please simply leave a request in the comment area.

Desserts were volunteered by a number of participants.  No wonder the wasps were attracted to the table, the colours were as vibrant as an exquisite garden in full bloom.

Daughters of Brother #3 looked smashing in their dessert coloured dresses.

Speaking of smashing, these beautiful cake pop Party Favours were lovingly provided by our friend Caroline whom is an expert cake maker.

Wee One and her gorgeous Mom were showered with love and beautiful gifts.  The afternoon was a lovely way to celebrate new life and family and friends (who are just like family).

Kath’s quote: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Love-that is all.