In my humble opinion, my husband cooks up the best ribs that I have ever tasted.  He stands the pork racks on their side and adds whole onions, carrots and celery and just a wee bit of water in a shallow roasting pan.  Then they are cooked over a low heat for hours on end, after which, the ribs must cool and “set” in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.   Just before serving, he slathers them in barbeque sauce and places them on the grill so that the sugars in the sauce begin to caramelize.  We recently visited the Oakwood Café, at 660 Osborne St. in the lovely Riverview neighbourhood of Fort Rouge, specifically so that he could sample their all-you-can-eat ribs.  The verdict?  He was very impressed!

Rarely can restaurants be successful by being all things to all people, but somehow the Oakwood is pulling it off.  The website indicates that the establishment is a Bistro/Restaurant/Café.  Not only do they offer the rib special on Friday and Saturday evenings but they are also known for an endless variety of Eggs Benedict at brunch.  They have an extensive breakfast menu, lunch menu, vegan menu, kids menu, 55+ menu and provide outside catering and private parties. Based on their business on the evening that we visited (I recommend that you make reservations), they are successfully managing to keep all these balls in the air.  

I teased our server and asked her if I had to show her my identification to order off of the 55+ Plus Menu.  It turns out that I must have not looked my age, because she inadvertently served me a full order of Mediterranean pasta instead of the 55+ version.  I happily started with a Bacon & Blue Salad of bacon, blue cheese and crunchy pecans as my husband enjoyed a cup of one of the soups of the day-a delicious borscht with an enormous dollop of sour cream.  My entrée included roasted red peppers, zucchini, kalamata olives and feta in a hearty marinara sauce.  I topped it with slices of chicken breast for a mere $2 more.  There are plenty of affordable options like this one on the extensive menu. 

The ribs were plated with perfectly prepared veggies, sweet potato fries and a chipotle mayo which provided a lovely zing.

The owners Alix Loiselle and Peter Paley and their staff work as a well coached team with everyone chipping in on all tasks.  One of the owners personally delivers arm loads of hot dishes out to the guests.  Empty dishes are whisked away immediately and the restaurant always looks sleek and uncluttered in spite of the bustling atmosphere.

Kath’s quote: “I like a cook who smiles out loud when he tastes his own work. Let God worry about your modesty; I want to see your enthusiasm.”-Robert Farrar Capon

Love-that is all.

There are days when even “foodies” don’t want to cook OR eat out.  Today was one of those days.  D was out of town, Daughter #3 was at an evening class and our renter was not home for supper.  I have been at my computer all day, stopping just long enough to walk the dog.  When the time came to think about supper, my mind was a complete blank.  When I looked into the freezer, all I could spy were the casseroles and plastic food containers that I have been stowing away for our renter while I am out at our beach house for the long weekend.

Then I remembered Just-Eat!

Just-Eat is Canada’s fastest growing on-line and food ordering service.  I have checked out their website a number of times and each time I go on it, there are new restaurants that have been added to the restaurant roster.  I understand that there is also a mobile app for Android and Iphones.  I had a yearning for Chinese food so all I did was enter my postal code at www.just-eat.ca to find out which of our favourite Asian restaurants had delivery available.  Perhaps Chinese seems rather obvious; it just happened that I was craving a good curry vermicelli.  There is also American, Canadian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Greek, Indian, Italian, Jamaican, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Pizza, Thai or Vietnamese cuisine available.  Even one of my favourite fine dining restaurants is participating-Mise Restaurant.

In just a few clicks, dinner was on its way to my doorstep and I could get back to work.  If I didn’t work at home, I could imagine using the mobile app on my way home on the bus.  Dinner could arrive at just about the same time that I walked in the door.  Best of all-no dishes!

I ordered from Hi-Ball restaurant in our vicinity because we like to support our neighbourhood restaurants as often as we can.  I indulged in deluxe special egg foo yung, pan-fried shrimp and a delicious won ton soup, in addition to curry vermicelli. All were delivered piping hot and in less than the promised time.

Kath’s quote: “Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; –Alice May Brock (of Alice’s Restaurant fame)

Love-that is all.

As I write this I am listening to “Q” on CBC Radio and enjoying some left overs for my solitary lunch.  I am alone but not in the least bit lonely.  I have Whitesox always at my side and in fact I wish he would depart for the front deck so that I could get my dirty floor washed at the beach house.  My plans to get my spring cleaning done before the May long weekend went a muck and so when three car loads depart from “Life is Good” (the name of our little beach house) I decided to stay back and tackle a couple of projects.

Last night I wiped down the cedar ceiling and walls, cleaned the grimy oven and painted a couple of pieces of furniture. My windows are now cobweb free and I can see the view of the birch and pines without obstruction.  Then I rewarded myself with a spicy dip and a bowl of whole wheat taco chips for my dinner in front of the Amazing Race Finale streamed on my computer. I snuggled into bed early with my book and in spite of not thinking that I would sleep very well without D by my side, I slept a full nine hours without moving.

The weekend had been as the Frenchman declared “absolutely perfect” with one exception.  Daughter #1 had decided to stay put in her downtown apartment and we missed her.  With this late spring there was still a table of ice and snow on the shore of the beach when I arrived Thursday evening but by Sunday there were folks enjoying the warmth of the sun and a stretch of open water.  We were undeterred by the lack of beach and our flooded front yard.  We made the most of our time together as a family with my extended family, by accumulating on the deck and pulling our lawn chairs with us to follow the sun around the higher areas of the yard.  Games of darts were frequently played with a dart board mounted on the door of the shed.  That same building held another reason for accumulation-D had hauled a slushy machine out from the city.  We enjoyed iced coffees (with Kahlua and banana liquer), lemonade and beer shanty’s, pina coladas and strawberry  margaritas.

Suppers are a “take turns” occurrence and first up were J1 and J2 who invented an appetizer of cauliflower roasted in Frank’s Hot Sauce which tasted like a feed of hot wings (without the fat and calories!).

For our main J1 had rolled enormous meatballs and placed them in a rustic veggie sauce of asparagus, zucchini, red and orange peppers. This was accompanied by Caesar salad.  That night, the first of three family bonfires was held three doors away.

The next morning and every morning of the weekend, we got to sped time with the Wee One.  On this day we hadn’t unearthed her toys so we got out the measuring spoons and cups for her to create a ruckus with.  The other newly established routine was when D and J1 went off to play tennis, I would get the Wee One bundled up for a walk in her “Chariot”.  D took a turn yesterday and was amazed at how peaceful it was to walk in the bush for an hour with no noise but the birds.

The Belair Forrest which we can access from the beach house is a gorgeous part of the province.

After I had successful wheeled the Wee One around for her hour nap, I made up a copy cat version of McMuffins but with real cheese slices and just baked Canadian bacon.

We are so delighted that another chair has been pulled up to our family table.

That evening the Frenchman was the chef and he prepared the ingredients for a wonderful “make your own” taco salad.  Of course this lead to much discussion about the “true” way to assemble this salad: with the taco chips on the bottom so that you can scoop up the bites nacho style, or with them crushed over the top so that every forkful includes plenty of crunch.

That evening was the inaugural bonfire at Sister #2 and SYM’s (Sexy Uncle Michael).  We have co-inhabited with them for 15 years at “Life is Good” so we dubbed their place (for the time being) “Life is Good Too”.

The next morning we were invited back over to Sister #2’s “work in progress” home that is four doors away.  She is famous for her eggs benedict using béarnaise sauce in place of hollandaise.  Since she actually doesn’t have a kitchen yet, she made the poached eggs on the side element of their barbeque.

Later that day, her brood joined us to celebrate J2’s birthday.

The only hint J2 had given me on what I could prepare on her behalf was anything grilled…so we enjoyed grilled purple, yellow, red and sweet potatoes, grilled broccoli and Brussel sprouts with maple syrup, grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms and grilled pork tenderloin (with a zucchini artichoke salad).

I also had what I thought was a brilliant idea (much to D’s chagrin who is our BBQ operator) to make a grilled dessert recipe that I had found on line. First D grilled slices of homemade pound cake which I soaked in coffee and Frangelico.  Then these grilled pineapple slices and strawberries went on top.

On top of everything went a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup!  It must have been a hit as the birthday girl had two helpings.

Just as the sun was setting we ventured over to a third family cottage for another bonfire.

Last meal of the weekend was roasted sausages and pancakes topped with our family favourite of cottage cheese (and left over grilled pineapple).  Shortly thereafter the gang packed up and headed home and left me blissfully alone to tackle the clean up.

Kath’s quote: “Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education.”-Mark Twain

Love-that is all.

I sometimes get a call from one of my sister-in-laws asking me about  particular restaurant because they have a coupon that they are thinking of using.  If you have to trek across town and the restaurant is not clean or in an unsafe neighbourhood, even a good deal is not a good deal.  So when D purchased a Show & Save Book to support the fund-raising efforts of one of our nephews, I thought that I would thumb through it and share the reviews that I have of the restaurants listed.

So here goes:

Bellisimo Restaurant & Lounge

Bernstein’s Delicatessen

Beaujena’s French Table

Casa Grande

Clay Oven

Dim Sum Garden

Eat On Samosa

Los Chicos Restaurant Y Cantina

Mona Lisa Ristorante Italiano

Papa Murphy’s

Oakwood Café-coming soon

Southdale Village Family Restaurant

Vientiane Thai Restaurant

Wok Box

Kath’s quote: “Contrary to popular notion, truck drivers know nothing about good restaurants.  If you want a reliable tip, drive into a town, go to the nearest appliance store and seek out the dishwasher repair man. He spends a lot of time in restaurant kitchens and usually has strong opinions about them”.-Bryan Miller (NY Times Restaurant Critic)

Love-that is all.

We were delighted to host a potluck in conjunction with Sobey’s Potluck Challenge.  When we invite this particular group of friends over, I am not sure who is the most excited: the parents because they get a breather from their kids (we take the kids off their hands for the evening) or the kids who are anxious to see each other and head down to our play area in the family room.

But we always start the evening off with a family dinner.  The contributions to our “Tastes from Home” potluck were homemade chicken noodle soup, green bean casserole (a classic modified to be made without cream of mushroom soup) to accompany the macaroni and cheese that I had prepared,

a make-it-yourself spinach salad and watermelon and brownies for dessert.  The hit in the dining room where D, myself and Sister #3 were supervising the little ones was the chicken noodle soup.  The noodles were lovely and fine and the broth had a hint of what we guessed was fennel in it.  We couldn’t confirm because the home cook that contributed it had to attend another event, but she sent a stock pot full of soup over with her husband and girls. We grown ups in the room loved the green beans and the spinach salad.

My contribution of Mac and Cheese was modified from an old family favourite.  We have been preparing Best of Bridge’s Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese for years.  But recently, we had been saving the dish for special occasions because it was anything but low fat and low calorie.  I performed a test run of the recipe for Daughter #2’s birthday dinner.  When the original recipe and my version were tasted side by side, no one could tell the difference.

The moist, dense brownies for dessert were perfection.  One bite could truly satisfy a chocolate yearning.

Now, who wouldn’t want to cook for these adorable kids? They are well mannered, taste everything and have sophisticated palettes for children their age. This is, I am quite sure, because of the example and encouragement of their parents.  All the parents in our circle, simply place wholesome, home prepared foods in front of their families and let the kids take it from there. Soon there will be another little guy around the table, as they have a brand new baby brother!

In the foreground are three sisters.  They all help their parents in the kitchen and one of their favourite pastimes is flipping through pages of cookbooks.  I kid you not.  When we were invited there for dinner recently, all three of them were on the floor by the cookbook shelf in the kitchen, oohing and awing over various recipe photos, sharing them with each other and then requesting of their Mom that they make the most popular items.

The Wee One (our Granddaughter) is also a part of this group.  This weekend she tried grilled eggplant for the first time!

After our successful potluck, the kids donned t-shirts which served as painting smocks and made painted terra-cotta pots for their Moms for Mother’s Day.  These children are truly blessed with amazing Moms who know that time invested in the nurturing of these little ones is their most important work.

So as far as a Food Revolution is concerned, the need is not great amongst our particular circle.  But please do not misunderstand me; we know that we are a privileged group.  We have the luxury of time and can afford a variety of wholesome ingredients to prepare for our families.  Such is not the case the world over and indeed not even throughout our own neighbourhoods and communities.  We try not to take our blessings for granted and know that our responsibility is to share our knowledge with other families by example, with hospitality and with contributions of money and time to organizations that help feed families nutritious food.

I applaud Jamie Oliver and his efforts through Food Revolution Day-a global day of action celebrating the importance of cooking good food and inspiring in children a love of healthy food that will last a lifetime.  Sobeys wanted all Canadians to get involved and show off their cooking skills and that is why they created the national potluck challenge.  I encourage you to host your own potluck but also to tweet and/or post to Instagram about your potluck event with the #PotluckChallenge hashtag.  Sobeys will be donating $1 to the Cooking Towards Independence Project-a joint initiative between Sobeys and the Children’s Aid Foundation that will set up cooking workshops with children across Canada.

Kath’s quote: “As soon as I was old enough to peer over the worktops, I remember being fascinated by what went on in the kitchen. It just
seemed such a cool place, everyone working together to make this lovely stuff and having a laugh doing it.”-Jamie Oliver

Love-that is all.