Cottage Eats

The only thing better than a perfect weather day at the cottage is a perfect weather day that includes amazing food. This year we ate well from sun-up to sun-down. We made grilled nachos, which were simple but very effective, and a paella that was more complicated but also tasty. First, the nachos -

A cookie sheet was, unfortunately, sacrificed for this dish. The nacho chips were layered on the sheet (on some foil) then shredded cheese, fresh tomato, olives and black beans were scattered here and there among the layers along with some fresh cilantro. Then we put them on the BBQ and let the cheese get nice and melty. We pulled them apart and dipped them in salsa, sour cream and an amazing homemade guacamole while sitting on the deck.

For dinner we made paella, a version from Cook's Illustrated that doesn't require a special pan. This dish was definitely more high maintenance than the nachos but oh so good! In the pot went onion, garlic, rice and tomatoes along with chicken thighs, chorizo sausage, shrimp and mussels. Topped with some red pepper strips and green peas it came out looking cheerful and fresh. It tasted cheerful and fresh too!

Another winning recipe, but then again Cook's Illustrated never seems to disappoint. We had plenty of sweets for after this savoury dish. Sorbet and ice cream, rhubarb cake and a pan of Sweet Maries that disappeared very quickly. I'm full again just thinking about this meal because everyone (myself included) had seconds. So after a day of blue sky....

...bouncing on the water trampoline, flying largish airplanes and playing a heated (and hot) game of baseball....we cleaned up from dinner, lit a fire, toasted some marshmallows and bid adieu to another great weekend with friends (and food) at the cottage.

Til next year!