My sister asked “So how do you make your tomato sauce?” Simple question, but instead of the obvious answer, I wanted to stress freshness, so my answer started with “Well in May you prep the soil and plant your tomato plants…” I’m blessed to have a great spot for a little garden, right beside the lake. I also have a backup garden, at my Mom’s house. I’ve seen a huge improvement in produce at the grocery store, especially imported stuff, when items are not is season here. Having said that, there is nothing like picking something, bringing it the 10 feet to the door and using it. There are certain things we grow every year and some things that we switch around. Here is a picture of the garden taken just after it was planted and 3 weeks later.read more
Deciding what to serve for Monday Night Dining this week gave us some qualms. We talked over a few options and then out of the blue I blurt out “let’s do something they won’t expect….. Like pizzas!” Let’s just say the response did not have the enthusiasm that I was hoping for. We went back and forth on ideas, but were not getting a cohesive plan. Then Shawn said “let’s do french.” Now I love french food, but I had pizza on the brain…. Then Shawn found an Alsatian pizza recipe. Suddenly we had a plan.read more
Monday May 26, 2014 After a brief break from Monday Night Dining, for vacation, we decided on a Spanish theme this week. Guests include our regular trio, John (an old friend of Steph’s), Trish and Merry-Anne. When we arrived to prep, we are greeted by a rather large and appealing jug of Sangria, with lots of boozy fruit!! The weather is gorgeous, so we are eating al fresco. I suggested that we not overdo the tapas course, otherwise nobody would have interest in the rest of the meal, so we managed to whittle it down to: Spanish Tomato Bread with Jamon Serranoread more
I seem to be blogging backwards here…. I started with the most recent Monday night dinner, but wanted to review a few from the past.
April 28th, 2014:
After having just performed 2 shows of Passion and Peace with Pax Christi Chorale, featuring True North Brass, our season is over and MondayNightDining can be a more relaxed affair for a few months. No time constraints, except bedtime and a larger choice of venues. This week it’s off to Steph’s house, for an Indian Dinner. Shawn and I prepped on Sunday and I did not realize how out of control we were getting until I attempted to lift the cooler. Instead of going to the gym, I should just lift that thing in the mornings. Guests tonight are Jake and Mathew, two recent graduates, one of whom sang beside me for my big debut! While we got the food ready for the table, the two young men discussed business ideas. I think they really have something there.read more
My first real food post represents a few new starts for me. Cinco de Mayo is a rather misunderstood day, and in Mexico is not a very important day, but north of the border we have embraced it, especially me. I have told the story many times of being in Larado Texas one Cinco de Mayo, quite a few years ago. Things looked rather festive and I was in the mood for some good eats. I asked some of the people I was working with and they told me about a popular spot. It had neon flamingos on the sign, so instead I asked “where do you eat, when you want a good mexican meal?” I ended up driving a bit out-of-town and turned down the lane of little farmhouse. No sign, so I knocked tentatively. A lovely little round woman opened the door and welcomed me in with a smile that lit up the room. The living and dining rooms were setup with tables. There were no menus. When it was clear that I had no idea what to ask for, she just said “OK. I will bring you some things to try.” I have no idea of the names of most of the dishes that I had, but it was one of the most memorable meals of my life. As the place filled up, the atmosphere was almost familial. Being the outsider, almost everyone spoke to me. I was on the road for a couple of months on that trip and overall people were friendly, but this was the only time I felt at home. This however is only one piece of why I like Cinco de Mayo…. The rest I will save for another time.read more
Welcome to our new food blog! Monday night dinners started for us during a difficult time for us and many of our friends. Shawn and I extended an invitation for dinner one Monday to our friend Steph and changed our lives. Monday night dining has now taken on a life that we never expected. It has now been over 2 years and we have never looked back.. until now. This blog is starting as a way to keep track of meals, menus and more importantly friends. It may take a while to get the hang of this and to practice our food photography, but bear with us.read more
