CANDY SUSHI

DESTINATION: STE. IRENEE

Inspiration ad when I didn't have enough room!

Attempt at home without the popcorn but with vanilla wafers

Casse croute Ginette

My new favourite beach food - the egg guedille - hot dog bun, grilled warm and buttered with mayo, lettuce, boiled egg and tomato stuffed into a messy delicious mess of a sandwich. Perfect beach food!

Best beach in the Charlevoix area

ANGKOR EXPRESS, POINTE-CLAIRE VILLAGE

New kid on the block and a nice surprise.

Terrace eating in the last days of summer with a cold drink of water and Jasmine tea.

This simply titled Broccoli stir-fry outperformed its title with perfectly cooked onion, carrot, cauliflower, frenched beans, broccoli, and sprouts, with egg drops on tender noodles with the perfect coverage of a delectable sauce.

Fried banana served with tiny scoops of caramel vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top. Probably better without the ice cream and cherry, but I ate it anyways!

SUPER SALADS

Spinach, Arugula, Pineapple Tidbits, Sesame bites, chopped cashews, Asian Sesame Dressing

Barefoot contessa's blue cheese coleslaw.

My neighbour has been pinch hitting for  a caterer, and she gave me a potato salad like no other. I  do love baby potatoes, but the fresh broccoli was inspired!

DESTINATION: QUEBEC

If you have read my blog before, I have never been to Portofino, until I went in Quebec City!

This may not be authentically italian, but I am a sucker for warm bread with oil and balsamic vinegar  dip to start. 

Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli Romagnoli  - a zesty rose sauce. Excellent!

Pesto Gnocci

Jesuite pastry - stuffed with Frangipane cream, heavenly stuff, and covered with roasted sliced almonds and powdered sugar

A perfect veggie burger at Le Buffet de L'Antiquaire on the patio with fries I tried to avoid, but was served accidentally (Don't worry, I went back for the dessert later in the day when I digested!)

Sugar pie inside at Le Buffet

James Wolf statue in  Morrin Centre Library

Bearpaw (Pas d'ours) at Paillard - banana chocolate pastry with crystallized sugar

MALAYSIAN MEAL WITH AN AMAZING HOSTESS

Lemak Udang - shrimp and pineapple in coconut gravy.

Lettuce wrap with minced veggies (jicama, carrots, green beans, shitake mushrooms with minced garlic, oyster flavoured saucer soy sauce/kicap manis) so finely chopped I could cry! Delicious!

White jasmine-scented rice with Char Siew (soya based stewed pork belly), Lemak Udang,  filled lettuce leaf and spring rolls. Delicious!

Not-so-Malaysian flourless cake

Bubur Cha Cha - a sweet, coconut milk warm dessert with cubed taro, sweet potatoes and sago in my friend's gorgeous floral bowls on her gorgeous granite counters

A perfect tea combination of ginseng, dried longan berries, dried chrysanthemum, and dried goji berries.

RASPBERRY GRANITA

A cool refresher on a hot summer day

In lieu of an expensive ice cream maker, I bought this book for two dollars at a library book sale. Already worth it!

A seasonal option or from frozen

I used the quick method

Start early because it takes longer than you think. Chilling the pan could be done first thing in the morning or overnight.

BARMBRACK BREAD

Breakfast served cold. This moist loaf is delicious and has no oil/butter!

Barmbrack (Speckled Bread) -Ulster recipe from  An Irish Country Doctor

2 c. golden raisins (sultanas)

2 c. brown sugar

4 c. flour

2 c. raisins

3 c. tea, brewed (An English/Scottish/Irish breakfast tea works nicely)

3 eggs

3 t. baking powder

3 t. mixed spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.)

Soak the fruit and sugar in the tea overnight. The next day, alternately add the flour and eggs to a bowl. Add baking powder and the fruit. Add mixed spice and stir it all together .

Turn dough into three greased loaf pans and make for 1.5 hours at 300 degrees F. When cool, brush the top with melted honey to give a fine glaze.

SUMMER WEEKEND IN OTTAWA

A hot day with friends is better with your feet in a cool creek!

Interesting triangles in the bedrock of Pinecrest Creek behind Woodroffe High School, Ottawa, ON

Apple pecan blue cheese salad

Portobello burger with fresh tomato, avocado, blue cheese and ketchup with corn on the cob and apple pecan blue cheese salad

EVERYDAY FARE AND RECIPES

Cavatappi with Balderson's aged cheddar sauce with broccoli salad

Cheese pasta
450 g dry pasta. Cook as directed in boiling salted water.
2 T butter, 2 T flour, 2 cups milk (1%), 250 g grated 2 year old cheddar. Melt butter, add flour, whisk in milk until thickened, remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and mixed in evenly.

Broccoli salad (add a head of cauliflower to the head of broccoli for Green and White Roughrider Salad)
Head of broccoli cut in bite-sized pieces, 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit, 1/2 sunflower seeds (roast if time) 1 small red onion, chopped (do not omit), bacon bits
Dressing: 1cup mayo, 1/4 c sugar, 2 T vinegar (may half if head is small)

Tofu peanut edamame sauce on rice

454 g firm tofu, cubed and marinated in 1/4 c soy sauce, 1/4 c peanut butter, 1 T sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 c vegetable stock, 1 T cornstarch, 1 cup frozen vegetables(here, corn and peas), cooked 1 cup edamame. Saute marinated tofu, add stock, PB, sugar and salt, until smooth. Add cornstarch until stirred through, and frozen vegetables until sauce is thickened. Serve over cooked rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Fried tofu with salsa and roasted cauliflower

Slice firm tofu, dry, coat in bread crumb parmesan mix, and top with salsa of choice. Roast bite-sized cauliflower pieces with drizzled oil and chili powder under low broiler.

PC thai green curry pasta with corn, diced carrots and tofu with broccoli salad from above!
Surprisingly good!

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Such a rich cake served at an amazing meal.

OATMEAL MOLASSES COOKIES - KID AND SCHOOL FRIENDLY

INSPIRED BY THE WOLSELEY BAR AT STELLA'S BAKERY

When I heard of this bar, I expected to find a recipe for it on the internet, believing it to be a local item like a Nanaimo bar. Turns out that this is not from Wolseley, Saskatchewan but Wolseley, Winnipeg a neighbourhood that historically housed an amusement park called Happyland, named after a British Army officer named Wolseley. So my sister-in-law found a recipe that followed the ingredients she knew so well, but lacked sesame seeds. So I doubled the chocolate chips and raisins (it was for my daughter's after school snack, after all) and sprinkled a tablespoon of sesame seed. It's a great dense peanut buttery square, but not cake-y enough to be a Wolselely square. So I am still looking for a recipe for this square, since I live a time zone away!

White and milk chocolate chips 

The final product