Inspired by Italy

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Still life with wine and grapes

A quick preface to this entry. This is something I had written and put aside a couple of years ago, but I was reminiscing about Italy, with all of the dire news we have been hearing from the region, so finished it off, so we can remember more pleasant times.

We recently returned from a trip to Tuscany and Umbria in Italy.  This trip has been in our minds for quite a few years, but has been put off for various reasons.  A few different circumstances came together to create a unique opportunity.  A Tuscan farmhouse, a saltwater pool, good friends on a hill in the middle of nowhere….  Who could ask for more? read more

Social Distancing Dinner

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These are strange times. By the time this Monday Night Dinner occurred, the world was changing. We had not quite reached the time of isolation, but were getting recommendations on social distancing. This new term has come to mean that we cannot see our friends and loved ones, except from a distance. We cannot hold those we love, unless we are isolating with them. A quick run to the store, to pickup something we forgot, gets put aside, as we try to limit our contact. We hate these rules, but follow them as best we can, not for ourselves only, but to protect the most vulnerable. I find myself envious of my dog… He can still play with his friends, while we stand on the periphery of the park. We hear the numbers everyday and it pains us. The losses, the tears, the heartbreak, and we cannot properly comfort those in need. These are strange times, cruel, hard and unprecedented. Life goes on, but in a more limited, quieter, lonelier way. read more

Some Times Things Just Come Together

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There has been someone we have been meaning to host for dinner, for some time. Unfortunately this has not happened…. But this week, as we were doing a test run on a new dish Shawn posted a pic on Facebook and guess who commented? Within 2 messages we had invited Catherine and Eugene for Monday Night Dining. Sometimes things just come together…. Shawn has these spontaneous impulses that he acts upon and I have tried to take a page from his book, although I am not great at it. Sometimes when you feel it, you just need to pick up the phone, or send that message, or letter. In fact, Monday Night Dining started one night, when Shawn picked up the phone and checked in on a friend. That has made all the difference, for all of us. As I am writing, I challenge those of you reading this, in these unique and challenging times, to pick up the phone, FaceTime, or whatever works… connect with someone that might need to hear from you. We may be isolating, but we need not be alone. read more

The Show Must Go On

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One thing that we have been making a concerted effort to try to do, is support friends of ours, by attending their gigs. It’s amazing to see people we know in their element, doing what they love. The upside is that many of these shows are not expensive to attend, I highly recommend it. One such artist recently had his debut on the Met Opera stage, which was live streamed all around the world. It’s cool to see someone you know, and have performed with, much larger than life on the big screen. A few weeks later we heard that he was giving a recital in Hamilton, so off we went. From grand opera, with full orchestra, to seeing just him and his accompanist on stage in a much smaller space is a cool juxtaposition. What touched me was seeing him perform 3 poems set to music by a local composer, with the composer’s family in attendance. These moments are unique and unrepeatable. This of course led to a dinner invitation for our friend, to catch up and celebrate with him. read more

Moroccan Monday

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Couscous with dried fruit and nuts

One thing about self-isolating and being cooped up, you have time to catch up on a few things, so I will attempt to catch up on a few blog posts, that have been on the back burner. So on with our meatless Monday Night Dining adventures….

If there is one thing Shawn likes, it’s a challenge. It’s easy to cook without meat. What is not as easy, at first, it to make sure it’s balanced and that you are getting proper nutrients – doesn’t hurt if it is tasty! So, we have decided to expand our vegetarian repertoire and see where we can take it. Plus, I will soon be travelling to a very meat-based part of the world and I need some home cooking to sustain me. This week, it is just our trio for dinner… Let’ call it a little send off to me. read more

Meatless Monday

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We brought in the New Year with a conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprint and over the holidays we also watched a documentary on Netflix called “The Game Changers,” where scientists and top athletes embark on a quest the find the optimal diet for human performance and health, and it all pointed towards vegetarianism . With this in mind, why not try some of the treasures from the vegetarian realm? We recently attended an event where the star guest was Madhur Jaffrey, the Julia Child of Indian cooking, who said “in Indian cooking we don’t try to make vegetables look like something else, we let them speak for themselves,” and with this in mind that is what we did. We made a buffet of several vegetables dishes and let them shine in their original shape and not transformed to look like meat. Today, we will be highlighting what was not our first meatless Monday, but I think one of our more impressive efforts, with some of the dishes out of Madhur’s own cook book. read more

Girls’ weekend… the return

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After a year off, we were invited back to cater a meal for a girls’ weekend, in Niagara Falls. 12 ladies, one vegetarian, one gluten free, and a tapas theme. This is gonna be fun.

Since we have such a small kitchen, we started early and picked at least some items that could be made ahead and frozen for the day. One dish I wanted to make desperately, was braised octopus. The plan was to slow braise the octopus, grill it quickly, then put it on a salad…. After the little beast was braised, it was not particularly tender, so we made the wise decision of removing it from the menu and instead serving a pear and arugula salad, with local honey and candied pecans. read more

garden to table

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Swiss Chard

Our friend Sebastian is proud of his garden, as are we, so last year he suggested a meal, featuring produce from both gardens. Well this week we made that a reality. We picked up produce from his garden and then planned out a menu, that would show off the bounty of the earth that we had in hand. Tonight our trio was joined by Sebastian, Jared and Martha, for a garden to table inspired meal.

So with a big bag of tomatoes, of different types and sizes, an armload of swiss chard, fresh poblano chillies, lots of herbs, edible flowers and more, we greeted our guests with a glass of Crement de Alsace and shortly after brought out bruschetta, with cherry tomatoes and herbs from both gardens, and a charcuterie board, with some pickled artichoke hearts and peppers. read more

A big thank you…

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The Bear of Andlau

This little bear, eating grapes, became a bit of a friend to us, while in Andlau, which was our home base for our recent trip to France. The lovely apartment that we stayed in was loaned to us, by a friend’s family, so we thought that this week, we should invite the family patriarch for Monday night dinner, to thank him for the amazing hospitality.

This week’s Monday Night Dining gathering actually took place on a Monday, which has not been the case often this summer. Our trio gathered with Cate and Bill, for a little french inspired dining, with a small twist. We started with a lovely Cremant D’Alsace, from Pierre Sparr, to welcome our guests, and some bruschetta featuring tomatoes, from the garden. read more

Dining in Alsace

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Sometimes an opportunity comes along, that you just cannot pass up. In this case it was an opportunity to stay in Alsace, in a small town called Andlau. Let’s just say when I hear Alsace, I think Alsace wine…. If you have read this blog, you might realize, we like wine. We were able to make use of a friend’s apartment, so this sounds like a wonderful trip. Our trio and our friend Cate met in Strasbourg, rented a car and off we drove to our new home for the week. Andlau is a lovely little town with a dozen wineries. The apartment was roomy and airy, with a lovely view of the Ill river, and the Andlau Abbey. read more