FISH AND CHIPS CANADIAN STYLE

Fish and chips are usually seen as a very British-English dish. Since many people who immigrated to Canada over the last 100 years came from the United Kingdom, it makes sense some of their dishes came with them.

On a recent outing to Port Perry, Ontario, Barb and I had lunch at the Halibut House. It is one of several fish and chip places in the town. We both had the fish, chips and coleslaw lunch special. I also had the fish chowder as an appetizer. Well it was one of the best fish served I have had recently. The batter was crispy and the fish thick and flakey. The french fries were big and tasty. Not bad for a Canadian meal!
#HalibutHouse#freshfish#fishandchips#PortPerry#fundaytriptoPortPerry#aCanadianstaple

ZUPPA DI PESCE-GRANPA'S ANNIVERSARY DINNER

Everyone knows I prefer to eat at home. But Barb insisted we go out for a nice anniversary dinner-May 15, 2013. She reviewed several places before I agreed to one not too far from home.

Here I am at Stonefire.

For my appetizer, I had the soup of the day-Tomato. Not so bad.

For my entree, it was Zuppa di Pesce ( Fish soup).

Wow-it looks big!

Lobster Tail Jumbo Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels, Calamari, clams- simmered in a Tomato Broth with 4 large Crostini. Rarely do I have trouble finishing a dish! However, there was some left at the bottom of my bowl. With the Crostini, there was no need for more bread a the table.

Boy that was good!

Barb decided to have the Rack of Lamb- Roasted Ontario Lamb crusted with Mustard and herbs served with garlic mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

I guess it's okay to eat out on special occasions. At least there were no dishes to do! Oh yes, it was my 42nd anniversary! Happy Anniversary sweetheart!
#Stonefirerestaurant#zuppadipesce#lambdish#anniversarycelebrations#rackoflamb#garlicmashedpotatoes#nicetoeatout

BREAKFAST OUT TO CELEBRATE TWO MOMS

I could have made breakfast for my wife and daughter. However, we went to Sunset Grill, one of those all day breakfast places for our Mother's Day breakfast with my wife, Barb and daughter, Sonya and her family- husband-Andrew and my two grandsons Tyler and Brody. Eggs-one over lightly with peameal bacon, home fries, toast and jam is always a good choice. Barb likes the French Connection with French Toast, sausage, scrambled eggs and home fries. She never eats it all but takes half home and nibbles on it all day. Like breakfast and lunch plus snacks for her. It is a fun breakfast place to go. We have had many times at various Sunset Grills throughout York Region. Of course, my home cooking is better but it is nice to be served sometimes. Later in the day, we went to our other daughter-Natasha and husband-Domi and grandchildren-Sophia and Damiano for cake and coffee. Not being a mother, I rather enjoyed Mother's Day. Did not have to cook!!!!
#mother'sday#SunsetGrill#breakfastoutwithfamily#peamealbacon#sausage#scrambledeggs#FrenchConnectionspecial

WHY CHILDREN'S PARTIES ARE FUN!

The fun part about being a granpa is eating the food at a child's party.

From popcorn-

to cheesies-

to chips!

Great appetizers. Of course, healthy food was served. I had my share of salad with the chicken and potatoes. And only one cupcake!

Lets me be a kid again! There are more parties to come! And lots more fun eating!

FOCACCIA-FUN FOOD FOR A SATURDAY NIGHT

One of Barb's favourite stores is Grande Cheese. Not only do they have many different kinds of cheese and Italian products, the ladies there make focaccia the way my mother used to make it.

The tomato one is quite tasty. The plain one with some garlic and rosemary is simple. Focaccia is a great bread substitute with a meal. With some salad and a meat of choice, it rounds out the food groups. It is good for snacking later in the evening too.

RAGU ALLA BOLOGNESE

Ragu or meat sauce is always a welcome addition to a meal. Bologna- a city north of my region in Italy- is the home of this tasty sauce.

INGREDIENTS

Ground meat- 1/2 kg ( 1 lb) each of veal, beef and pork. Less or more depending of the amount you want. It's a 3 meat sauce.

1 onion-chopped.

3 garlic buds-diced.

Parsley- few sprigs. Fresh is better. Chopped.

1 can of plum tomatoes.

2 bottles of Pomodoro/ tomato Passata.

Olive Oil.

Salt, pepper.

Optional-tomato paste.

DIRECTIONS

Add olive oil to a large pot.

Saute the chopped onion for about 4-5 minutes adding the garlic buds diced..

Add the meat- salt and pepper to taste.

Brown thoroughly.

Add the chopped parsley.

Add a can of plum tomatoes crushed.

Add 2 bottle of tomato passata.

Salt and pepper again to taste.

Some  cooks may want to add 1/2 can of tomato paste.

Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

This sauce is best on homemade fettucine. Penne and ziti are other dry pasta that work well with this sauce.

For an easy meal, this sauce  on pasta can serve as the meat portion. Served with a  salad, it is a complete meal. For the busy cooks- make a large portion so it can be used for more than one meal during the week. I usually make enough to give a portion to my two working daughters to help with their meal planning in their busy work weeks. My second cousin- Roberta, who lives in Cassino loves this dish. During her birthday on a Canadian visit in 2009, it was her request for this sauce so it was a big part of her celebration.
#ragubolognese#3meat#Cassinocooking#eatingwellItalianstyle#penne#ziti#homemadesauce#helpingthetwoworkingdaughters

THE GARDEN NEEDS WORK

Every cook loves fresh produce. It just makes the meals tastier. So with the arrival of April, some small containers are started with seeds to grow some cucumber and zuchini plants for the coming vegetable garden. The soil is too cold and can not be ready for planting until May. I was busy this week with a minestrone soup for my daughter sick with a cold and some Bolognese meat sauce for a rigatoni dish for Barb. No time for a recipe as I am busy outside-puttering, trimming branches and the usual yard work that most people are starting to do once the snow has melted. The garden needs work!