PREPARING FOR A COTTAGE WEEKEND

Friends of Barb and me invited us to their cottage. Another couple is coming too. Everyone  does some meal preparation. I have been busy the last two days. Prepared the sauce with meatballs and sausage yesterday. It will be served with penne lisce. Taking the ingredients for a Greek Salad. The rapini salad and the roasted peppers are ready and in travel containers. I must remember to get the Feta cheese for the salad from the fridge. Perhaps, Barb will take some pictures of the meal. Dessert is a store bought chocolate cake to help celebrate two August birthdays of our friends- Rose and Mary. Previous posts will provide the recipes. Now to decide what to have for breakfast!
#cottageweekend#pennelisce#sauce#granpalovestocook#adolphdimambro#rapini#fetacheese

FROM A FRESH APPETIZER TO A HEARTY SOUP

I eat lots of vegetable. For any gathering or a family barbecue at the cottage a fresh vegetable appetizer platter is always a hit with some spinach dip. We all eat a variety of vegetables.

From broccoli

to cauliflower

to carrots

to a variety of peppers- red, green, yellow, orange- vegetables are best eaten fresh.

What to do with the leftovers? The next day make them into a dish. Soup/zuppa well is my second best way to eat them. With a little olive oil in the bottom of the pot simmer some chopped onions and a couple of buds of diced garlics. When simmered add the chopped vegetables left over form the veggie platter. I added some frozen peas, a zucchini, a little swiss chard piece, and some celery too. All chopped into small pieces. Of course salt and pepper to taste.
Ecco la!

Una zuppa di verdure! A hearty vegetable soup! Barb always tells me she loves the smell of soup simmering in the house. I just love eating it!

DEVILLED EGGS CANADIAN STYLE

My children and their spouses love devilled eggs. It is such a simple appetizer to make for any family occasion. Actually it is an item Barb makes often. I wondered how the dish got its name. Devilled like the devil means hot. So over the centuries if you added something hot or piccante to the eggs that gave it some kick like the "devil".

Basically boil as many eggs as you need for the crowd you are serving.

After boiling, peel the shell and rinse to make sure no little pieces remain. Cut in half length wise. Put the yolk in a bowl and the white in their halves on a plate.

Mash the yolk together, add mayonnaise and mix well. Like the hot eggs you can add some spice- we don't- just like them with the mayonnaise.

Put the yolk mixture in the egg halves. Add some paprika for colour. A little pepper if you want. Barb likes to add a little fresh parsley leaf. If you do not have fresh, some dried parsley crunched into fine pieces that can be sprinkled over the eggs! An enjoyable addition to any buffet meal!
#devilledeggscanadianstyle#deviledeggs#aquickappetizer#doyoulikedevilledeggs#soeasytomake#eggsaregoodforyou

HOME FROM ST JACOBS MARKET

After a fun trip to St Jacobs Farmers Market near Kitchner-Waterloo about an hour and a bit from Richmond Hill Saturday August,  2012, it was time to assess my bounty.

A large bag of Canadian Bush Beans will make several side dishes for the week. I can add my "small crop" from my garden to any dish.

Farm fresh Ontario white potatoes were plentiful. I plan to make gnocchi with these potatoes. Enough for Barb and me as well as my girls and families.

The fruit is so tasty. The cherries are huge. The yellow plums were worth the purchase. The large peaches will make a good afternoon snack. Some women at the market bought many baskets. Barb reminded me it is time to make the summer fruit into preserves. Peaches fresh, preserved or made into jam are very wonderful to eat.

The yummy baked goods are for Barb and any visitors. Although the cinnamon bun was destined as any afternoon snack for Barb. It was made fresh in a small booth at the market by two young Mennonite women.

Tomatoes sliced with some olive oil, garlic and oregano are a simple side dish with summer meals. Or a toasted tomato sandwich on either white or whole wheat bread.

Or part of a farm fresh breakfast. I made Barb some home fried potatoes cooked in butter. Fried the maple sausage she bought at the market. Two farm fresh egges once over lightly with the tomatoes on the side. Barb does not like  much salt but I did add fresh ground pepper! With two slices of the Canadian Cheddar Cheese bread, it was worth two meals in one!

GRANPA'S TRIP TO ST. JACOBS FARMER MARKET- MODERN AND MENNONITE

St. Jacobs Farmer Market is a blend of Fresh produce and flea market and trendy items all blended together. Barb wanted a trip to St Jacobs on a Saturday morning due to its uniqueness. Close to Kitchner-Waterloo with its German origins, the whole area has been home to the Mennonites since the 1790s. They are a Christian sect that has detached from modern influences to live and work off the land but contribute to Canadian society and culture in wonderful ways. The area has the Canadian diversity as well.

As can be seen the market is now sandwiched between the big box stores "sprouting up" across Canada.

Even though I have some tomatoes in my garden, how could I resist one basket of beefsteak tomatoes.

The cherries were supposed to be a bum crop this year. Can not tell by this delicious pile!

The Mennonite community participate in a huge way side by side with other local farmers and merchants. Many of the young women work at the market with the larger community. In one stall, I observed one woman in Mennonite dress with the traditional bonnet, then another then another. They all looked the same. One young woman gave me a nice smile as she could see the perplexed look on my face. The three women looked slim, healthy, no makeup, no painted nails but very hard working and polite.

A crowd scene! Barb could not resist taking a picture of some ladies in their purple dresses. Permission of course to click the photo.

Barb loves Maple Syrup. This little booth was manned by a young Mennonite boy who was reading in his horse drawn buggy at the back. We bought a large bottle from him.

Inside one of the building there were meat counters- Barb bought some honey garlic sausages as well as some maple ones. Bakery counters and lots of other misc things.

Just taking a little break and having a good look from the upper balcony. Barb went off to buy some photo cards of Mennonite life. A large cinnamon bun from one of the Mennonite bakers is safe in my bag.  They were being made fresh at the little booth by two young Mennonite young women. Barb's Mom used to make cinnamon buns when she was growing up.

No matter where I go there is always Italian food being sold as can be seen by the Focaccia Bread. Barb bought some Canadian Cheddar  Cheese bread and a German apple cake from this booth.

I always find a "paesano" no matter where I go. This uomo- man originated from Calabria. He has a small farm near Martingrove in Woodbridge. He helps sell his brother's crops who lives near St. Catharines, Ontario. His young Mennonite helper was getting a chuckle out of his Italian characteristics!  I bought some peaches and cherries from him.

I was tempted to hitch a ride with the horse drawn trolleys that let tourists visit a few Mennonite farms. My arms were getting longer from the heavy bags. The market had too much to eat. It was too crowded!  Hot! .Some people were just milling around -looking. Others were serious food shoppers. Maybe next time I will arrive when it first opens. However, there is nothing like farm fresh produce. Off the tree or off the vine it is 1000% tastier!

I can not wait to get home to eat some fresh peaches.
Visit their website. St. Jacobs Market
#StJacobsMarket#StJacobs#peaches#cherries#GranpavisitstheStJacobsmarket#adayatthemarket#findingapaesano#trolleysatthemarket#tomatoesoffthevine#Mennonitefarms#maplesyrupfromthefarm#cinnominbunsfreshlybaked#Italianbread#ItalianFoccaccia#OntarioFoodland