Yesterday, my morning began with a drive to the airport to deposit Boo and The Frenchman, who will soon be making their way to the sunny isles of Greece for their honeymoon. Although back-packing, Boo managed to pack a number of flowy white dresses for the trip. I can already picture my baby and her handsome husband dancing in the sun and smooching across a seaside table. Ah Greece, so exotic and romantic and delicious!

During my own sojourn to Greece, right out of university, I was a timid eater. I picked at the tomatoes and feta, the herb omelettes and spinach pie and managed to never ever taste an olive. I was such a silly girl and long to return to Greece so that I can savour every salty little taste. In the meanwhile, I LOVE Greek food, love all Mediterranean food in fact. I have many favourite little tavernas here in the city but not all are conducive to picking up a healthy supper or dropping in for a quick lunch. That is until Opa! of Greece came along. They’ve been in Polo Park for six years, but since I am not much of a shopper, I have never visited. With their second location (1639 Kenaston) adjacent to my neighbourhood and based on the samplings that I enjoyed last evening, that is going to change.

We started with spanakopita-crunchy phyllo wrapped around spinach, onion and bound together with some cheese.

We were then invited to fill our plates with traditional Greek fare: meat kebabs, roasted potatoes, “peasant” salad, warm pita, hummus and tzatziki and olives! I am so hooked on olives that I ate them all before I took this photo. These kebabs were specially made for us highlighting beef, chicken and lamb on a skewer. I typically shy away from lamb but it was beautifully marinated, tender and sparkling with flavour.

Crispy calamari and spicy falafel came around as we sat down at our tables. Both were excellent.

My foodie friends are a hoot and we enjoyed lingering and eating the calamari morsels like popcorn. Here’s the thing that I learned in Greece those many years ago-all food is made better when cooked with love and shared with friends. Owners of both Opa! Winnipeg locations: Fatima and Klaus Kostas, obviously know this too, as the pride in their offerings and their warm hospitality, shone through like the Mediterranean sun.

Kath’s quote: “A lucky person is someone who plants pebbles and harvests potatoes.” Greek proverb

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

When I recently recounted our time at Café Turko in Seattle, I did not get the opportunity to share with you the beautiful shop which co-habits with the café. Both are located in a large building that was once a Turkish carpet shop. Some carpets still remain, along with

pashminas,

copperware,

pareos,

jewelry and glass items,

lanterns, lanterns

and more lanterns. I loved that the shop and the café co-inhabited peacefully together.

Kath’s quotes: “Turkey’s true master is the peasant.” ― Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

Many of our good friends are realizing that there is no time like right now to go on traveling adventures; offspring are old enough to fend for themselves or have flown the coop entirely as is the case with D and me. Some of our circle are even more daring than us and leave the comforts of home and volunteer in far off places like South Africa. Such was the case with the particular friends that invited us to dine with them recently. On the drive over, I had commented to D that I hoped that they were cooking something from their travels, as they said that dinner was all planned and we could not contribute a thing. The aroma wafting from the kitchen as we were greeted at the door led us to excitedly inquire what was for dinner.

I had to look up “bobotie” on Wikipedia as Boo and the Frenchman who spent three months in South Africa were not available to ask. They happen to be preapring for an imminent month long vacation to Greece. I found out that Bobotie (pronounced /bəˈbʊəti/ or /bəˈboʊti/), also spelt bobotjie, is actually the national dish of South African. Simply stated, the dish consists of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. It is thought to have originated from the Indonesian dish bobotok. Colonists from the Dutch East India Company colonies probably introduced bobotie to South Africa previous to 1609 which is when the first recipe appeared in a Dutch cookbook^. Afterwards, it was taken to South Africa and adopted by the Cape Malay community.

Today Bobotie is typically made with beef or lamb. Early recipes incorporated ginger, marjoram and lemon rind; the introduction of curry powder has simplified the recipe somewhat but the basic concept remains the same. Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that can add complexity. For example, the dried fruit (in this case raisins) contrasts the curry flavouring. The texture of the dish is also complex, with the baked egg mixture topping complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish.

Doesn’t bobotie look like dessert when garnished with almonds, bananas and coconut?

Our hosts also served the savoury dish with crusty bread and a crunchy salad. The meal was simple, yet tasted soooo extravagrant. We had an absolutely delightful evening and now I predict that bobotie will become one of our families’ favourites. After I find out what “raw mince” is…..

Kath’s quote: My Ouma (my Dad’s Mom) was Afrikaans; a proper boerevrou. I remember her working in the farm dairy, churning the butter, or outside making her soap in the giant sized potjie (which is now a flower container at my sister Iona’s house in England). No-one could roll apricot smeer, make koeksusters or cook bobotie like Ouma could! –Judy Croome

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

If I were to estimate which restaurant in my home town, I visit most regularly, it would be Dim Sum Gardens, now in a new location on the 2nd Floor of the Asian Grocery Store, 268 King St and Logan Ave. When I worked in the Exchange District of Winnipeg , it would be our Friday constant

Three friends have an “A” list of items that we have been enjoying together for a couple of decades. During this time, it becomes a challenge to find new expluratives to describe these favourite items. As a result, I am going to let a picture tell a thousand stories (well maybe not a 1,0000)…..

Shrimp dumplings, pure and simple. I love when the plump shrimp are balled together with plenty of ginger.

Deep fried “perogies”. They have sugar in the dumpling casing that creates that sweet/salty combo that I crave.

Sticky rice: a wedge of rice and savoury fillings like ground meat and mushrooms.  I like this version because they do NOT include that gristly sausage that is sometimes added.

Sticky rice is typically wrapped in a bamboo or lotus leaf. I can’t tell which this is.

These are pan-fried chive dumplings. I love the pink vinegar that they are served with. I often get the abundant chives stuck to my front teeth. It takes on of my Besties to politely tell me so.

Pork dumplings-some ingredient in the casing adds a uniqueness to the morsel.

Bonus: I stopped on the way out at the main floor grocery and picked up dim sum provisions for mandatory Sunday supper.

Kath’s quote: “Yum yum dim sum.” Me

(They also serve desserts like this but it is not on the “A” list).

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

We were awake early on our first full day in Vancouver. Perhaps it was our excitement, perhaps the time change or perhaps because we had slept like babies in the comfortable beds and were refreshed for our time ahead. We were up before the sun and then were able to appreciate it in all its splendour looking east over the mountains.

Kits Beach was our first destination in our trusty rented Jeep that made us look as if we fit right in to the hardy outdoorsy Vancouver lot. Indeed on this morning there were joggers, a number of people walking their dogs (and not doing a very thorough job of watching if they were squatting anywhere), elderly couples strolling arm in arm to help each other with their footing I suspect and many, many moms pushing strollers in pairs and sipping their ventes from Starbucks. The latter also had their opportunity to stop their highly functional (expensive) strollers at a spot where mats were laid out and other moms were doing their stretches while babies and toddlers slept or occupied themselves in strollers parked nearby.

It had been years since I had visited Kits Beach and was struck by how the skyline over English Bay had changed in that time. Looking in the opposite direction, the Kits skyline had altered as well. One time a place occupied by:hippies: and students of UBC, the skyline was now dotted with sleek condos and upscale shops.

The Local opened at 11 and since we had decided that we would have an early lunch and then head to our one responsibility of meeting up with one of D’s suppliers in Burnaby. The Local seemed to us to be the perfect hang out for, quite obviously…the locals.  On this day there were a couple of workers from the area in for a pint with their. D was pleased with the local and craft beer selections as he commenced his beer tasting tour of Vancouver and Seattle.

The menu was what captured my imagination with local fish offerings and a fusion of Mexican and Asian tastes.

We started with a tortilla chicken soup which I had hoped would taste somewhere close to the version that we continually enjoy on Isla Mujeres or at the very least, the version from Chili’s that I remembered from years prior. First tastes did not live up but as I took a few more slurps, it started growing on me in a more subtle manner.

Being a stickler for freshly cut, double cooked fries, I was hard pressed to order the ones with truffle mayo even though, as my readers know, I am crazy for truffle oil. With a little coaching, D talked me into trying the Local’s version because they were provided by his company (GFS).

The burger was tasty.

As were the tuna tacos.

And we were off on our further adventures!

Kath’s quote: “What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” 
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.