In “my green and salad days” I went on a European excursion; what seemed like a zillion countries over the course of a month.  Our first stop was Athens and in truth, I know that my parents would not have been impressed had they known that their 19 year old daughter was lodging near Omonia Square which (at that time at least) was the heart of Athen’s red light district.  We didn’t know this our first night and could not figure out why they were traffic snarls on the streets below at 3 and 4 o’clock in the morning.

In those days, Athens was pretty dirty and very hot and sticky and I was relieved when we departed for the breezy Greek Islands.  But in the mean time, there was a food which made Athens worthwhile-the yogurt!  We would make the yogurt shops our destination much like you would go out for gelati in Italy (and now Canada).  

The yogurt itself would be sliced with a cold knife into a perfect square and then the honey would be drizzled from considerable height to ensure an even coating across its waiting face.  The taste?  Oh my goodness, I remember that first taste so vividly: cold and silky and creamy and pungent and sweet all at the same time.

I don’t know why it took me all of this time to discover Greek yogurt again.  I can’t get enough of it with banana slices or blueberries or mango for my breakfast. But this week I also needed a quick and light dessert idea for guests.  I picked up an angel food cake and whipped some alfalfa honey into the yogurt.  With slices of strawberry, it became and alternate to (the sometimes too heavy) strawberry shortcake!

Yesterday, I taught an early morning seminar and missed out on my nutritious breakfast and settled for a muffin instead.  My carb and sugar high and then crash was disconcerting and I will be sure not to repeat that performance any time soon.

Kath’s quote: “Mrs. Beaver stood with her back to the fire, eating her morning yogurt. She held the carton close to her chin and gobbled with a spoon….’Heavens, how nasty this stuff is. I wish you’d take to it, John….I don’t know how I should get through my day without it.”-Evelyn Waugh

Love-that is all.

I have shared with you previously, that we are a large extended family.  My children are 3 of 14 first cousins.  The entire 14  live in Winnipeg (at the moment) and the gang relishes excuses to get together.  The perfect reason was provided last month when one of the cousins returned from an extended stay in Australia with her new beau.  Instead of his having to meet everyone on an individual basis, Sister #2 hosted a backyard BBQ so that he could be introduced to everyone, en mass.

Daughter #1 with the wife of Nephew Number#2 (tee hee).

Our son J1 with Nephew #2.

Daughter #2 with the couple of the evening.

Since it was cousins only, Sister #3 and I had to create the excuse of helping with the dinner in order to sneak a peak at the new fella!

We were actually put to very good use-Sister #3 sauteing the Pow (or was it Bam?) Shrimp and I putting together the salad, garlic bread and baked potatoes.

Sister #2 planned a simple meal with guaranteed appeal: “My Man’s Ribs” (recipe posted on this site)

and extended fixings for over sized baked potatoes a.k.a. a Baked Potato Bar (a take off on a salad bar).

The children of Sister #2 and Brother #3.

D borrowed a commercial blender from his office and made rum fruit slushies to get the party going.  A good time was had by all, as the saying goes…

Nephew #1 with fiancee of Niece #4.

Wife of Nephew #1 beside Niece #1.

Daughter #3-J2 with Wife of Nephew #4.

The Frenchman and Nephew #3.

I mistakenly missed a photo op of Nephew #4 and Nephew #5 and his girlfriend arrived after I had put the camera away.  Are they not a good looking bunch?  My angels, all of them.

Kath’s quote: “Digestion is one of the most delicately balanced of all human and perhaps angelic functions.”-M.F.K. Fisher

Love-that is all.

There is something immensely satisfying about supporting a neighbourhood place like Luxalune Gastropub.  Most Winnipeggers know the story of the Warwaruk brothers and their efforts to save the family farm by opening Lux Sole (one of Winnipeg’s original Tapas restaurants), followed by their move to the Gastrobpub concept and Luxalune.

Last evening, through the one of the many advantages of social media, we were invited to and attended the launch of their new menu.   We got one of the last empty tables, as most of the enthusiasts were able to get there more prompt ly than us.

Our biggest decision of the evening was which on the many fine craft beers that Luxalune features, would we select.  I had tastes of a couple and decided upon a blueberry beer, selected both for taste and because I imagined it to be full of the anti-oxidants that I normally consume in my glass of red wine.

After which, no further decisions had to be made for the rest of the evening.  We sunk deeply into the leather couches and just accepted the food tastes that kept arriving at our table.  All tolled, we tasted samples of the Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip (with a nice little punch of heat) served with Lux tapas garlic bread, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings (that were deliciously citrusy-tasting to us), Garlic Bruschetta Pizza (my fav of the pizza choices with feta and fresh mushroom slices), Caribbean Jerk Pizza (smothered with marinara jerk sauce, Cajun BBQ julienned beef and carrots!), Lux Poutine (which warrants special accolades below), Sweet n Savory Mahi Mahi Pizza (featuring a Thai peanut base and Cajun seared Mahi Mahi) and Marshmallows Pops (drizzled with dark and white chocolate ganache and a sprinkling of sugared peanuts) to end up.

I will say at this juncture, that we were very satified with our little tastes, as were the rest of the guests and could have easily departed for home but it was a rare date night with J1 and J2 and so we paused and then sampled a couple more.

Chris and his manageress Kim conspired to deliver us a new pizza invention that I believe they called Pouza (a word combination of poutine and pizza) that describes it literally.  Being the potato and poutine aficionado that you know I am-I was delighted.  

We had missed out on the Lux Enchiladas, as they were sampled earlier and so a full order arrived for us to sample.  We love the Mexican rice that is stuffed alongside the chicken, cheese and veggies  into a crispy baked enchilada.  Do you know how half of the fixings fall out onto your plate when you are trying to eat a Mexican wrap?  Well this is cleverly rectified with the inclusion of a handful of taco chips served alongside, so that you can scoop up every delicious bite.

. 

Last, but by no means least, were another order of chicken wings.  These were a combination of the Electric Honey and Lemon Pepper choices.  There are another 10 flavours offered from Dill Pickle (on the menu’s Sweet scale) to Crazy Mexican (on the Screaming scale). Dry ribs come in all these flavours as well.

Of late, I have avoided fried foods and pizza and am proud to say that I am 19 pounds closer to wellness, as a result.  Luxalune very strategically does not deep fry any of their tapas offerings including their wings and potatoes for poutine!  So I can indulge in a special treat, guilt free.  And when potatoes are not deep fried they are actually very good for you, as they are an excellent  source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C.   The wings are covered in a coating that creates the impression of deep frying but they are actually oven baked and beautifully done so.

I managed to assemble the team for a moment last evening, before they had to rush back to what they do best-taking care of their loyal customers.  Here are Chris, Lawrence, Kim and Tom.

On the horizon, is the arrival of Luxalune’s own brewed beer, which will come from their homestead near the village of Arden, between Neepawa and Minnedosa.  D loves the area and is treating me to the Lily Festival this weekend.  The matriarch of the family, who was there last night as well, suggested that we drop in on Lawrence-the farming brother (identified by his tan), but we think that we will just mosey along and enjoy all that a summer weekend in rural Manitoba has to offer.

Kaths quote: “Farmers are the only indispensable people on the face of the earth.”-Li Zhaoxing

Love -that is all.

One of the many wonderful attributes of burgers is that they adapt to most every cuisine.   In the winter months we consume lots of dim sum and Asian dumpling soups but we begin to miss the fresh, crisp tastes come summer.  So I adapted my Hoisin Meatball recipe to produce these delectable burgers.   Ground beef is economical and kids love it!

We needed the energy that beef delivers because we had a busy weekend at the cottage which included spending some time as babysitters to three of our grand nieces and nephew.

D need his strength to tickle and wrestle with the youngest as the girls and I had a lovely time walking our dog on the beach.

Find out what your burger personality is at: https://www.facebook.com/ILoveCanadianBeef/app_325742427515323 I’m a Canadian Beef Ambassador and I love Canadian Beef.

Kath’s quote: “Beef is the soul of cooking.”-Marie-Antoine Carême

Love-that is all.

I am so blessed to not live in the suburbs.  Not only do we have the river bank,  lots of green space, bike and walking trails, but we have our pick of some of the best restaurants in the city, all within walking distance.  On this day I was meeting a work associate, who had already started her summer vacation, but was including me in her day for us to iron out some last minute details.  The destination had to be one that made her feel as if she were truly on vacation (and perhaps no longer in the city).  The patio at Pizzeria Gusto delivers that wonderful feeling.

It was hot but breezy and we choose to sit without an umbrella.  This became a wise decision when the winds pick up and people were getting the surprize of a huge canvas umbrella crashing across their table. Gusto took on additional meaning at this lunch.

Both my lunch date and I are adventurous eaters and he have both dined at Pizzeria Gusto before, so we were looking for something completely different and our wishes were satisfied by the bistro’s eclectic offerings.

We asked to share both a salad and a pizza. Our salad choice was the Altezza, so named for the tail lights of a European sports car.  Beets are roasted and then married with arugula, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, a balsamic reduction and sea salt.  Orange segments were a lovely surprize addition to the menu description.  This proved to be a beautiful melding of sweet and salty tastes that is my palate’s favourite combination.

Also shared was La Coppa pizza. Now “coppa” of course is Italian for “cup” but can also depict a roughly made sausage.  In this case I think it aptly describes our rough looking pizza toppings of carmelized onions, pancetta, more goat cheese, the novel topping of thinly shaved raw brussel sprouts and a soft cooked egg!  The sharpness of the sprouts, offset the rich creaminess of the egg and cheese and the salty pancetta made for a full spectrum of tastes in each bite.  In truth, I could just eat the hearth fired pizza dough bare naked (the crust, not me).  The textured is firm and chewy and the sweetness of the grains, brought out by the flame is just my coppa tea.

There was no room (or time, unfortunately) for dessert.  Besides, the wind was picking up and we had enough excitement from the flying umbrellas for one day.

Kath’s quote: “A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”-P. J. O’Rourke

Love-that is all.