There are very few times that we celebrate Halloween without snow and if the ground is bare it is typically a grey and chilly time.  Yesterday though it was still warm enough to get us out the door for an after work stroll.  The trees are bare but the grass is still green and lots of neighbours out enjoying the time as well. 

D has wanted me to try the many varieties of loose tea that are not being served at Saucers and so we ended up stopping in.  We choose a Rooibos called “The Academy Road” and a white tea which was a delicious blend of lemon and basil.    They are served from these neat little individual pots so that you can watch the steeping process take place and then have the tea effortlessly stream down into the pot (a far cry from most restaurant tea pots where I almost always splash, drip or spill).

I sampled the Chicken Thai Salad and loved the combination of noodles and crispy greens.  Two things made it exceptional-the whole peanut topping and what we were guessing was a homemade peanut dressing.

D enjoys their homemade soups and was delighted as usual with his potato and bacon choice.  He also ordered the Bruschetta which was topped with grilled vegetables, provolone cheese and a drizzle of balsamic.  Perfect ingredients to celebrate the local harvest.

We noticed a couple of families having a quick dinner together and a larger group of girls celebrating a birthday.  River Heights is very fortunate to have a number of restaurants within walking distance and Saucers epitomizes what a neighbourhood cafe is all about. 

Kath’s quote:  “The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Let love be multiplied.

I was treated to a lovely and unexpected lunch last Thursday at the Garry St. Keg and together with my recent tastings of their chicken fingers at the McGillivray Keg for a light supper before the theatre, I’m prepared to declare the Keg the city’s best chicken fingers (imho).

I will be honest and say that I never did get to my son’s suggestion of the cafe at U of M to taste theirs.  But I did put them up against Confusion Corner (which I would give a honourable mention to), Lisis’s on Main St., Barney Gargles in Selkirk and Mitzi’s downtown and hearing no other nominations, the case is closed. 

My personal criteria is the combination of a crunchy coating and tender white meat inside.  They cannot be too heavily ladened and the coating has to have a taste of its own.  In addition, the dipping sauce is an important and the ability for the morsel to grab and hold onto the sauce is also to be considered.  Since the Keg’s chicken finger is kind of “lumpy” it provides lots of additional surface for sauce adherence.  Their honey dill combined with the seasoning of the coating satisfies my personal favourite taste combination of sweet and salty. 

So with this I conclude my two summer quests, this one and the Grand Beach area’s best French Fry-  the winner being the French creperie at Albert Beach.  Bring on winter….. 

Kath’s quote:  “To give life to beauty, the painter uses a whole range of colours, musicians of sounds, the cook of tastes — and it is indeed remarkable that there are seven colours, seven musical notes and seven tastes.”-Lucien Tendret

Let love be multiplied.

Sweet Potatoes are plentiful in the produce section right now for holiday cooking but our family loves to have them all year long.  They are a wonderful alternative to traditional fries with a burger or fish. 

This recipe calls for an unpeeled potatoes so buy organic if you can.  The peel adds fibre but go ahead and peel them if you are concerned.  Ironically, they are are a great source of anti-oxidants.

2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes

2 T olive oil

coarse sea salt

3 T grated parmesan

2 T chopped parsley leaves

1 clove minced garlic

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Rinse and dry potatoes and then cut them lengthwise into slices 1/2 inch thick, then cut each slice in batons about 1/4 inch wide and 3 inches long.  Arrange in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil and 1/4 t salt.  Roast, stirring with a spatula midway through baking time, until tender and browned on the edges, 20-25 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix parmesan, parsley and garlic.  Add warm oven fries and mix to gently coat.  Season to taste with additional salt and serve at once. 

Kath’s quote:  “With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.”-Moses as found in ‘Leviticus

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Let love be multiplied.

I have lived in Winnipeg all of my life and am still finding new little places that fascinate.  My husband and my son often chat about donairs from their backpack trip through Europe together.  I have never tasted a donair but understand that it is beef and veggies on a pita.  If it is made with chicken, does it become a shawarma?  I need to do some more research-yum…..

On the day that I visited Baraka Pita Bakery (1783 Main St.) pita pies and pita pockets were going in and out of the oven and there were a number of people sitting at tables waiting for their late lunch.  I was intrigued by a little pita packet displayed on a counter that was folded into a triangle.  When I inquired, I found out that it was a spinach fatire and the handsome gentleman behind the counter offered me one to taste.  I bought a dozen to have at home with soup or as an appetizer and this past Sunday proved to be the right time to test the taste with my family.  They loved the concept but found that the spinach was too lemony.  Perhaps next time we’ll try the beef fatires.  There looks to be falafel, dolmades and a  number of dips.  I am planning on shopping at Baraka again soon to have a bon voyage dinner for my husband who is off to Israel next month. 

Kath’s quote: “On the subject of spinach: divide into little piles. Rearrange again into new piles. After five of six maneuvers, sit back and say you are full.”-Delia Ephron, ‘How To Eat Like A Child’

I am not sure if I am remembering correctly or if I am perpetuating an urban myth but I recall that Chicken Fingers were invented at The Keg.  When the chicken breast craze started some 30 years ago (before then we were all content with drums and thighs), chicken processors had to find a use for the little strip of the chicken breast which does not always stay attached.  The guys at The Keg could get this product very inexpensively and it was actually the tenderest part of the breast so it could be cooked quickly, not dry out and be served as a bar food. 

In those days they were called “Chicken Tenders”.   As the new item was experimented with there were a number of coatings tried-my favourite being panko flakes.  In addition to a number of sauces which were invented to dip them into. 

Now, this part is absolutely true-the honey-dill dressing that fingers are often served with, absolutely was invented by The Keg.  It is still my favourite of any choice and we make it often at home-using equal parts of liquid honey and mayo and adding as much dry dill as desired.

Where’s you favourite place to order chicken fingers?  Do you have a recipe that you would be willing to share?  Stay tuned to read about Mitzi’s and see Jamie Oliver’s Crunch Garlic Chicken from his Food Revolution.

Kath’s quote: “‘Bee vomit,’ my brother said once, ‘that’s all honey is,’ so that I could not put my tongue to its jellied flame without tasting regurgitated blossoms.”-Rita Dove