Since it was not beach weather on Sunday, we decided to head into the city early but not before we scouted up some brunch.  We headed north to Albert Beach, to the east of Hwy 59 just before the stretch of highway to Victoria Beach.  As is typical of the beach communities of Lake Winnipeg, Albert Beach is primarily a French area (Victoria is British, Lester is German, etc.)  Just across the street from Saffies’s General Store, is a little hamburger stand that also serves authentic crepes.

Summer staff were being trained on the art of crepe pouring/spreading and flipping.  There are sweet selections of nutella, banana and strawberry and savoury choices which were perfect for a late brunch.  The traditional savoury recipe is made from buckwheat.  We ordered one of ham and cheese and another of spinach and tomato.  The ham and cheese started with a drizzle of hollandaise and then a slice of Swiss cheese and another of old fashion ham.  The veggie one began with a spread of pesto, a layer of tomato, a crumble of feta and then both crepes were folded into triangles and placed back onto the crepe pan to melt the cheese.

Kath’s quote: “…sprinkled with sugar and eaten hot, they form an exquisite dish. They have a golden hue and are tempting to eat. Thin and transparent like muslin, their edges are trimmed to resemble fine lace. They are so light that after a good dinner, a man from Agen is still willing to sample three or four dozen of them! Crêpes form an integral part of every family celebration. Served with white wine, they take pride of place on all joyful occasions.”-Anatole France

Life is different these days and I am coming to understand that the journey is as lovely as the destination-and so it is even for our short drive to the cottage on the weekends.  Instead of racing to the cottage door, we have acquired a new stop along the way –the Sandbar Motor Inn at Grand Beach.

They have nightly food specials to attract people to their bar and Friday nights are steak night.  A nice little sirloin, perfectly cooked to medium rare with cole slaw (vinegary-just the way I like it), grilled garlic toast, a baked potato and get this-a glass of red wine (or a beer) all for $9.95!  The place was hopping when we arrived at about 7.  The weather forecast predicted a rainy weekend-I can’t imagine how busy they’d been had the sun been shining!  They had already sold 200 steaks.

We found a spot next to the window by the great looking patio.  Since it was just the two of us and we were seated at a long table, we invited others to join us as fewer and fewer seats were open.  This is the way that I discovered that you could substitute a chicken breast for a steak.  My neighbour’s dinner looked wonderful and I think I’ll make that choice next time.

As a result of this lovely stop, we didn’t have to cook and better yet-wash dishes upon arrival at the cottage, we just unloaded the car and set up the DVD player to get caught up on our viewing of LOST.  Don’t worry, we got a lot of time in the great outdoors as well.

Kath’s quote: “The only time to eat diet food is while you are waiting for the steak to cook.”-Julia Child

The Conservatory at Assiniboine Park has been a long time destination of my family’s.  When my Polish Grandma (with an incredible green thumb) would come for a visit, we would often take her there.  You had to keep your eye on her though or she would try to steal a slip of a favourite plant.  When in her later years (she lived into her 90s) she finally acquiesced and allowed indoor plumbing to be installed, she placed a hoya on the edge of her bathtub.  A soak in her tub was jungle- like when the little plant climbed and twisted itself all over that corner of the bathroom.  The plant itself outlived my Grandma and I have been the caretaker of one of its babies for 23 years-isn’t life amazing?

As is my habit-I digress….  I still go to the Conservatory whenever I can drop in for a quick visit and see the seasonal displays outside of the Star Grill which is the reason I write today.  The park is situated about half way between the homes’ of a friend and business collaborator so is a perfect spot to meet for lunch.  On this day we sat in the beautiful terrace and enjoyed the sun.

Since I am of Aboriginal descent wild rice is a natural craving and because it is so nutritional, we try to include it in as many recipes as possible.  The Wild Rice Bowl is a salad selection on the Star Grill’s menu and includes a delicious mixture of sun-dried cranberries, grated carrots, cucumbers, red onions, lettuce, roasted peanuts & peanut sauce.

The regional menu also features local pickerel served a vaiety of ways and bison, another treat tyipcal of the prairies.  The next time I’m there for lunch, I already know that I will chose the Open Faced Mediterranean sandwich -smoked turkey with artichokes, spicy eggplant , black olives, Feta & Swiss.  The life of a foodie-always anticipating the next meal……

Kath’s quote: “The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.” Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

Sangria is perfect for hot summer days.  The basic recipe below can be altered any number of ways, but provides a good base for your own ideas and innovations.  Traditional sangrias are made with red wine but there are lots of options with white wine too.  Let your imagination run wild.  (I have to admit…after a few afternoon batches my recipes become quite unrestricted in terms of ingredients and ratios.  But no one seems to complain).

#1 Basic

1 bottle dry red wine

1 T sugar

Juice of 1 large orange

Juice of 1 large lemon

Large orange and lemon sliced thin

2 medium peaches – peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

1 cup club soda

Combine all ingredients except club soda and chill overnight.  Add club soda just before serving and serve ice cold.

#2  Spicy

1 bottle red wine (your preference but a Spanish Rioja is nice)

1 lime, lemon and orange cut into wedges

2 T sugar

2 t hot sauce

1 shot of rum

2 L bottle of citrus flavoured soda (I like Fresca, pink grapefruit etc.)

Pour wine into a pitcher and squeeze the juice from the fruit wedges into the wine.  Toss in the fruit and add rum, sugar and hot sauce.  Chill overnight.  Add soda just before serving.

Easy Sangria

Marinate 1 each sliced lemon, lime & orange overnight.  Add or substitute berries, grapes, melon, mangoes or pineapple if you like.  Upon serving, fill a tall glass with ice and mix half of the wine/fruit mixture with 7 up.

Kath’s quote: “Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages.”-Louis Pasteur

Sometimes I get inspired by my own blogging-how  self-centred is that?  My eggplant post of last week spawned two delicious meals.  The first was the same night as the post when I recreated the Sicilian grilled dinner.  We actually didn’t have any eggplant in the house and so my husband used the closest thing-zucchini.  This (along with grilled asparagus that we just cannot get enough of at this time of year) is one of our favourite barbeque staples.  We toss both in a plastic bag with olive oil and Clubhouse Vegetable Seasoning-so simple and so divine. 

Where was I? Ah yes.  The second meal became many dinners.  I took a single eggplant to make Eggplant Parmigiana and it fed my husband and I on Friday evening, Daughter #1 and I on Saturday evening and then she had leftovers for Sunday lunch and I had leftovers for Monday lunch.  Now that is cost effective meal planning!

I always thought that because the dish was called Parmigiana it would have Parmesan cheese in it but it is so named because of the city of Parma.  But because the recipe centres around the use of tomatoes and mozzarella, it is said to have originated in the south, not anywhere near Parma.  Confused? And to make matters worse-we like a lighter version of the classic and use Parmesan instead of mozzarella!

I cut the eggplant into discs so as not to have any piece on the edge that gets thrown away.  It is often soaked in salt at this stage to extract bitter juices but we like it just fine including these so called “bitter” juices.  Then I dipped it into a milk wash, a flour dusting, an egg wash and finally coat it with breadcrumbs (this is also the process that I use for pork cutlets, chicken fingers and many varieties of fish).  In the mean time, I make a sauce of  what ever fresh herbs I have on hand with a can of tomatoes and plenty of chopped garlic and onion.  While that is simmering I brown the eggplant in plenty of olive oil.  The assembly starts with a generous layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking pan.

Kath’s quote:“…in a well regulated kitchen nothing is ever wasted, but with careful preparation even the ‘rough ends’ of a beef steak may be made into a wholesome, tender and appetizing dish; that ‘stale bread’ may be used in the most delicious ‘desserts’ and ‘fancies,’ and ‘left-over’ food from the day before need not be thrown in the trash-box, but may be made into an endless variety of wholesome and nutritious dishes.”-The Pica Creole Cook Book (1901)