Clam Chowder

While it hasn't been a particularly cold Winter it is one of the dampest I can remember. Damp, wet cold is so much worse than it's-been-snowing-for-months-and-there's-an-arctic-chill-in-the-air cold. Damp cold feels colder than it actually is and makes you feel less than Canadian when you realize it's only -1 and yet you're complaining about how so, so cold it is.

But really I'm here to talk about chowder. Clam chowder to be precise, which is just as good on a cold, damp day as it is on a cold snowy one. Did you know that January is National Soup Month? Not sure when this was decided or by whom but I'm always up to make soup. It happens to be one of my favourite things to do on the weekend. (The excitement this breeds around the house, as you can imagine, is palpable.)

Welcome September Salad

On Sunday we were invited to a last-weekend-of-Summer BBQ. The weather wasn't perfect but the menu and company more than made up for a bit of rain. Homemade burgers, fresh veggies and dip and potato chips - all hallmarks of a great backyard BBQ. I contributed Rainbow Salad and I was very pleased with how it turned out. Let's take a closer look!

Break-up Zucchini Tomato Tart

One of the ways I have been trying to challenge myself in the kitchen is to be more creative with cooking vegetables. At this time of year, when zucchini becomes abundant (i.e. is everywhere at market), I typically stir-fry or grill it into submission. It's only ever okay. So I decided to try something completely different and take zucchini to the next level by making Zucchini Tomato Tart. (Which, by the time you add in eggs and cheese and pastry, likely diminishes the nutritional value of the zucchini. Let's overlook that, shall we?)

I'm glad I made this tart because I it has helped me confirm something I've been wondering about for a long time. I don't like zucchini. Zucchini bread, sure (particularly with chocolate) but despite making this lovely tart I still haven't cracked the zucchini code, so to speak. I don't fault the recipe. Besides zucchini this tart features tomato, egg and smoked Gouda cheese. All things that I like. The pastry is frozen puff pastry thawed, rolled thin, gently pressed into a tart pan. (Another reason I'm glad I made this tart - I have never used my tart pan, and I had an excuse to buy puff pastry. Still have half a pack in my freezer.) David actually quite liked this tart which was a surprise to both of us. I didn't even bother offering it to the boys since I could think of no way to 'sell' it. Sell as in 'It's like spaghetti, chicken, scrambled eggs...try it, you'll like it'.

I ate a wedge of this tart the next day for lunch and I liked it a bit better leftover. But still. I think I'm ready to admit I just don't like zucchini and stop buying it. Hence the title of this post. Sorry zucchini. I'm breaking up with you. It's not you, it's me. Really. I'll admit that for years, I never really made an effort to serve you at your best, but this time, this time I really tried and well...you know. See above. Don't worry. We'll still see each other sometimes, when I make zucchini bread or muffins for the kids. And I still like you in Lasagna. But I think it's best we keep this relationship casual. No hard feelings, okay?

Seafood Resolution Resolved: Salmon Caesar Salad

I haven't made nearly enough salads this Summer. With produce at its peak I decided to make more of an effort to make salads a part of lunch and/or dinner around here this past week. Since I had some salmon in the freezer and another resolution (cook with seafood!) to knock off my New Year's Food Resolution list I decided to tackle Salmon Caesar Salad.

Corn Chowder

It's hotter than stink outside - anyone up for a nice steaming bowl of corn chowder? To be honest, I find the heat takes away my appetite altogether. I shouldn't admit that two nights this week I had a milkshake for dinner. Not one of those low calorie jobs in a can, either. A full-fat assault that you can feel going straight to your hips while you're drinking it.

Corn chowder happened at our house because I had a few ears of sweet corn left over from the weekend, the kids were in bed and David was in Chicago on a business trip. I wanted something fun and/or relaxing to do but didn't feel like reading and I just can't get interested in TV any more. So this is how I chose to amuse myself - by rustling through my fridge and pantry to try to figure out what I can make with ingredients I have on hand.

Market Vegetables

I can't believe that we're already mid-way through July. Summer seems to be flying by. One thing that's wonderful about the Summer marching on is the different produce to choose from at the market every Saturday. This Saturday we went to the St. Jacob's market, which was busy but full of wonderful things. David and I used to visit the market as a treat when we were students at Laurier. I wasn't as much of a cook then as I am now or I would have made the most of having such an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat right on my doorstep. We saw an amazing variety of fresh foods at the market. Apples that were literally as big as David's fist. Lemonade served up in a cup big enough for the whole family. Mini donuts fried and sugared right in front of our eyes (yes, we bought a half dozen and devoured them in seconds). We came home with what I imagine is the first of this season's sweet corn. I boiled it up tonight (6 minutes in boiling, salted water) as part of our Sunday dinner which relied heavily on the current fresh produce offerings of the region.

In addition to the corn I also made a Cucumber Tomato Salad from Epicurious that I tried on Thursday and had to have again, it was so good. I know that I'll want to make this salad again when tomatoes and cucumbers aren't in season and it won't be nearly as good, so I'll try to talk myself out of it since I think this salad really requires the best cucumber and tomato you can find. David isn't an olive fan so I kept some of the cucumber/tomato/feta mixture separate for him when I served it this week with some grilled lamb kebabs. It was the perfect accompaniment to the lamb but went just as well tonight with some boiled potatoes, sweet corn and grilled sausage. I halved the recipe with no noticeable difference to the final product. This is a dish that tastes just. like. Summer.

Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad - from Epicurious

6 cups coarsely chopped English hothouse or Persian cucumbers (about 2 pounds total)
2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound total), coarsely chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup assorted pitted olives (such as Kalamata or Gaeta), halved
1 7-ounce package feta, crumbled, divided
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, olives, half of feta, and mint in a large bowl. Whisk oil and lemon juice in a small bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining half of feta over and serve.

Chickpea Pasta

One of the food resolutions I made in January was to try and prepare more interesting vegetable dishes. We always have at least one vegetable with each meal but they are generally uninspired. Think your standard side of (boiled) peas, corn, carrots. I have also been known to roast a vegetable or two in my day (asparagus and cauliflower) but I never go all out and prepare a main course that one could consider vegetarian.

Lately a lot of my culinary experiments come about owing to some random ingredient I find hanging out in my pantry. In the case of Chickpea Pasta it was a can of chickpeas left over from my chili making phase this past Winter. I just happened to find it the day I went through one of my 'to try' recipe folders and found Penne with Chickpeas, Spinach and Roasted Asparagus, courtesy of Food and Wine magazine (LCBO). Penne with Chickpeas, Spinach and Roasted Asparagus is a much more elegant name than Chickpea Pasta but since the can of chickpeas really started the ball rolling, Chickpea Pasta it is.

I thought the Chickpea Pasta presented well:

And it would surely qualify as vegetarian. In addition to the spinach and asparagus (and chickpeas, natch) you'll find shredded carrot and sun dried tomatoes in that there bowl. David and I both had the same reaction to this dish. It was good, but the chickpeas were kind of distracting. David never met a legume he liked so he stick-handled most of his out of the way (in the nicest way possible, given as he is to generally praising anything I make). I was game to like the chickpeas but something about the texture, especially compared with the other elements of the dish, didn't work for me. Overall I enjoyed this pasta but wouldn't rush to make it again. So back to the veggie drawing board!

Crank up the heat...

On Saturday night we pulled in to our driveway around 10:30 p.m. having left Locust Grove, Georgia earlier (way earlier) in the day at 5:00 a.m.. What made the trip bearable were the five glorious, sunny days we had just enjoyed in Orlando, Florida. After a long Canadian winter it was a well deserved break from reality. Except my reality is that I appear to have grown allergic to sunshine. I have always been sensitive to the sun but this was the first time in years that after one day of sunshine exposure my skin broke out into red (itchy) hives. Which was wonderfully ironic. I've been begging for sunshine and warmth for months. I get some and it turns out my Canadian-born self can't handle the heat, literally.

When you spend your vacation at a theme park you can't really expect much in the way of culinary delights. So I have very little to share about our food adventures while on holidays. Here are the culinary low-lights and high-lights. You can judge which is which.

Chick-fil-A. Please come to Canada, Chick-fil-A. Kentucky is about the northern-most Chick-fil-A we've been able to find.  Amazing chicken sandwiches and a mean chicken fruit salad. Awesome lemonade. Free wi-fi. Clean bathrooms. I'm in.

We had a lovely moment at Cracker Barrel in somewhere-I've-forgotten-the-name-of Tennessee. A man came over as we were finishing our lunch and told us he had been watching us since we came in and he thought we had 'Just such a nice little family, he had to stop to say hello.' (Go back and say this with a slow Southern drawl). Which you could take as creepy (Dude - stop watching us!) or lovely, which is how I'm choosing to take it, given the kids had been in the car since 4:30 a.m. with no naps.

Old Port Royale Food Court (Caribbean Beach Resort). Not so much 'Caribbean' fare but points to Disney for trying to health things up. The kids had turkey, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner a couple of nights and all the lemonade they could drink thanks to a refillable-during-your-entire-stay Disney mug. Which we enjoyed on the patio, by the pool under some colourful umbrellas and palm trees...

Let's talk about lattes. I've grown accustomed to having one every morning that I prepare at home. Disney does not have good coffee meaning they do not have good lattes. Except at the Polynesian Resort but we weren't at the Polynesian resort. Next time, we will be.

Whispering Canyon Cafe all-you-care-to-enjoy skillet. I love Disney marketing. It isn't 'all-you-can-eat' it's 'all-you-care-to-enjoy'! This was our one splurge meal and it was goood. Ribs, fried chicken, beef brisket, baked beans, mashed potatoes (that made me want to lick my skillet) and corn bread. The kids ordered bottomless milkshakes. Bottomless. Milkshakes. They drank two. Each. I sampled both (strawberry and chocolate) and they were also gooood.

Bob Evans. We love Bob Evans. Because when you're only mid-way through Ohio (what is up with the size of Ohio?) and you have been eating on the road for a week, you want a vegetable. Patrick looked at the menu and ordered broccoli and banana bread. They also have KD (Kraft Dinner). Genuine KD, although it does seem to differ slightly from Canadian KD. I always order off of the kids menu (Turkey Lurkey) but the grown up menu is good too.

By Sunday I didn't have the energy to whip up Sunday dinner but we managed to pull together a respectable Mother's Day feast of gingered flank steak, baked potatoes and roasted asparagus.

Have I every told you how I roast asparagus? It seems like a rather random way to end this post but I can do random. This is a fool-proof method for roasting asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus
Heat oven to 500 degrees. (No, seriously - your oven will go that hot!) Snap woody ends off of asparagus and wash. Put some foil on a cookie sheet. Spread the washed asparagus on the foil-lined pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt/pepper. Roast in oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately to rave reviews.