Welcome to the Food Blog for Fabulous Foodies

The Library Run or how reading can make you fat!

Sat, 4 Sep 2010 12:10:04 -0700

Recently I found some book reviews in the Vancouver Sun in their Arts and Life section; the three books reviewed were about food without their being cookbooks. I immediately went to my library’s website and ordered all of them. I now have all of them in my possession and have just finished “The Cookbook Collector” by Allegra Goodman and am about to dive in to “Climbing the Mango Trees” by Madhur Jaffery. The third one is called “The Ramen King and I” by Andy Raskin and I’m not sure about it because of its flippant title, however I’ll let it surprise me. I also have a fourth book by Lily Prior called “La Cucina” and I’ll be darned if I can remember who recommended it. Nevertheless, I have some serious reading to do over the next week or so. If only I could stretch the days out a little longer.

So let me tell you a bit about Allegra Goodman’s The Cookbook Collector. I thought it would be about a woman who collected cookbooks and was eccentric and mostly talked about food. Much to my surprise, the book is about high tech, tree huggers, millionaires, people without two nickels to their names, love and loss and, oh yes, about a collection of cookbooks. The thing you have to work out is who the title really refers to. (and yes I know I’m yet again ending a sentence with a preposition - perhaps I should start ending them with a Proposition!)

Although the back cover suggests that Allegra Goodman is a contemporary Jane Austen, I think that is overstated. It does feel honest, in that her characters show their flaws without their feeling contrived. It also makes you look at what you value and more so, why you value something. That alone makes the book worth reading. The cookbooks in question play a relatively small role but a pivotal role nonetheless.

I have to admit though, once I have food books home from the library or fresh from garage sales, I find I become ravenous and so while I’m reading (I first wrote that as eating!) I start picturing all the lovely food and honest to goodness it’s a Pavlovian response - put the book down, head for the fridge (or cupboard or drawer) to eat something. Need I say more. I would recommend that you only read on a full stomach or have a bowl of smart pop popcorn beside you or you will balloon up like the proverbial blow fish. Perhaps there should be a warning on all food books like you find on cigarettes - Warning - This book may be harmful to your health. Use caution when reading this book - lock your cupboards. Long time reading may lead to serious illness or death. The other option is to just not have the good stuff in the kitchen or anywhere else in the house. I have a very good friend, you know who you are, who stashes chocolate bars for those snack attacks and another who keeps tins of icing around. Me, I eat crackers or toast with honey or whatever else I can find. So, while my quest for fewer pounds persists, I am sabotaged at every turn.

So the bottom line is - Read books from the 641.5 section of your library with caution - you never know where those pounds will show up.

NOTE:
I told you in a recent post about Palm Leaf Plates (see the blog here if you haven’t had a chance to read it). Just an update to say that I was able to find something very similar here on Vancouver Island at our local Thrifty’s store. There are 12 larger one (almost like bowls) for 7.99 and 12 smaller for 6.99. I am attaching a link to the website. http://www.earthentrading.ca/index.html It seems that they are pretty much only available in BC but there are a couple of online distributors. AND their plastic packaging is biodegradable so that works for me.

Be Fabulous

Rack of Lamb on Palm Leaf Plates

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:16:00 -0700

Anyone who reads this blog knows by now that we eat a lot of lamb - racks of lamb in particular. When it is on sale we stock up. However, this blog edition isn’t about a recipe, rather it is to tell you about a product we recently tried. I should tell you that I received a free sample of these plates from Justin Marx of Marx Foods in Seattle, however I wasn’t under any obligation to review the sample or talk about this company at all.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when Marx Foods offered to send me these plates to try so I did what we all do to find answers to such questions - I went to their website and had a look. They do look quite different to what we usually find in the line of disposable dinner ware - how many meals have we eaten from paper plates over the years! They have a very “Pacific Northwest” look which hubby and I found really appealing. When they arrived I was amazed at how sturdy they were. We were at a birthday party yesterday evening at a beautiful home on the ocean front and the food was served on paper plates - which I hasten to add was most appropriate because we were all outside and the food was all finger food - but I couldn’t help thinking that the palm leaf plates would have been a much better alternative having seen at least two guests overfill their little paper plates only to see them bend under the weight and deposit their contents on the ground.

I’m not sure that I would use them indoors but perhaps if we had a buffet dinner they might work well because they are so sturdy. So back to the topic of sturdiness. I figured that I should test it out. I piled one the plates up with some fruit and veggies (1.3 kilos of the stuff) and held the plate out in one hand for the better part of 2 minutes and the plate held firm. (see below)

We also liked the fact that they are biodegradable and compostable making them more attractive from an environmental front. We were also happy to know that they are made from discarded palm leaves and that no trees were cut down to make them. If you want to know more about them please head to their website and have a look. The only thing that I found that would keep us from using them more often was that they are quite expensive for disposables. Marx Foods has an incredible assortment of high end foods and other products they supply to chefs across the US. Check out the plates at:
http://www.marxfoods.com/products/Eco-Friendly-Plates

I thought about testing the plates using the usual summer barbecue fare of hamburgers and cold salads but then decided that I would prepare a more traditional “indoors” dinner of rack of lamb and the trimmings which included the Mango Chutney we purchased from Rabbit Hill Farm earlier this week. The combo was amazing. Check my blog from August 13th for more about Rabbit Hill Farm. We were very pleased with the result of using the plates.

I know this may sound like an advertisement but if we were chatting I’d tell you exactly the same thing. So if you do give them a try, send me an email with your findings positive or negative and I’ll post your comments to the blog.

Jasper thought it would be a great idea if we let him try out some lamb on one of the plates but we didn’t agree with him. He was quite offended as you can see from the photo.

The photo below shows our lamb dinner plated. We mixed some dijon with some fresh chopped rosemary and pepper and grilled them for about 6 minutes a side (yes, we like rare lamb) on the barbecue. There is something about lamb and rosemary that makes the combination greater than the sum of the parts. Now if only I could drink red wine it would be perfection.

So be fabulous and stay tuned for more recipes because now all the summer company has come and gone. We’ve loved having them here but it’s time to get back on track. Chicken and salad tonight - no yam fries or coconut prawns etc. etc.

To Market, To Market to buy ...

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:50:28 -0700

The weather has been incredible this summer here on Vancouver Island with warm days, cool breezes and comfortable temperatures at night for sleeping. We have missed the rain but if you follow the world’s weather at all you know that someone else is getting way too much rain so we don’t complain. We are taking the opportunity to trek to various places for some local produce and to hone our budding photographic skills.
We went on one such trip on Wednesday of this week. Our destination was beautiful Butchart Gardens in Victoria but you know what they say about the best laid plans... ! We noticed a small sign on the highway near Chemainus, about half way down the island from where we live and where we were headed. The sign said Farmers’ Market today. The car knows to follow the signs so we found ourselves in the beautiful small town of Chemainus in Waterwheel Park with the ubiquitous white tents of a market beckoning us in. Never ones to flee in the face of a challenge we found a great parking spot in the shade and plunged in.

There is something so undefinable about a farmers’ market. The vegetables all look so much more pleasing than what you see in grocery stores and the jams, jellies, nut butters, baking just cry out to be taken home. Everyone seems to be happy although, having worked as a vendor at a local farmers’ market some years ago, I know that happy demeanour can be a bit deceptive. Whatever the reason for people happily engaging in conversation it makes for a positive experience for buyers.

I love talking to the vendors and seeing how their creativity has made them into business people; the packaging, the displays, their personalities all add credibility to their products. I met Kathy Blackstaffe of Rabbit Hill Farm. Her jellies, jams and condiments are displayed like the jewels they are. She offered us tastes of a mango chutney that was a blend of sweetness and fire. We had it with lamb last night - wonderful. We also bought a jar of her Middle Age Spread - as it says on the label - a little bit sweet - a little bit tart - a little bit lumpy. We had it on sunflower and honey bread from another vendor at a the Friday Farmers’ Market in Nanaimo earlier today. It was like the bread and spread were made for each other. The bread was from the Slow Rise Organic Bakery of Gabriola Island. While Rabbit Hill Farm does not have a website yet, Kathy can be reached blackstaffe@shaw.ca

You can check out the fabulous bread from the Slow Rise Organic Bakery at their website www.slowrisebakery.ca . Although they are based on Gabriola Island they can be found at several farmers’ markets in central Vancouver Island.

If you get a chance, no matter where you live, take the opportunity to visit your local markets. The vendors are there because they want to engage the buyers in conversation and to explain their products. They are proud of what they do and believe that they are providing the best quality to you. Try things you would normally not purchase and you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise. And - when you do use your purchases you will be reminded of a nice few hours in your week. I’d like to see a big chain grocery store affect you that way!

I’ll be posting later in the weekend about rack of lamb, mango chutney and palm leaf plates!

Buttermilk Chicken with Herbs and Pavlova for dessert

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:36:34 -0700

I was going to cook the Chicken with Soya Sauce and White Wine again the other night when my hubby said, “well if you’re going to blog about new recipes you’d better use new recipes.” Point made and taken. He was absolutely right (don’t tell him I said that!) So, out came the recipe books as well as a look around to see what I had on hand. I always keep buttermilk powder in the house for buttermilk pancakes or biscuits and I had taken a whole chicken out of the freezer already. Those ingredients along with bounty from the herb garden, which I am lucky enough to having growing in the tiered garden out back, led me to this recipe for chicken.

Once again I turned to Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted at home. Also, as usual, I tweaked it somewhat - recipes are just suggestions anyway aren’t they? Some people also think that red lights and stop signs are just suggestions too - but I digress!

You will find Anne Lindsay’s recipe here with my changes in brackets. Hers calls for dried herbs while I prefer to use fresh. She calls for it to be cooked on the barbecue but we prefer it done in the oven. I found the barbecue dried it out. I used too much garlic (as if there is such a thing!) so be warned - the garlic overwhelmed the herbs somewhat. That said, it is a dish I will do again.

Now onto dessert; pavlova is my Mom’s favourite sweet kick so, since she and her fella were visiting this weekend, and all the fresh fruit is abundant, I decided that I would make it for her. OH YUM. This is one dessert that tastes as beautiful as it looks. The Pavlova meringue by itself makes 8 servings at just over 100 calories per. The wickedness is in the filling, traditionally whipping cream BUT you could use low fat ice cream or my guilty indulgence, light Cool Whip - YES I KNOW, the cheese product of the dessert world but hey, when you do that and load it with fresh fruit it is a great meal ender and so low in calories. The trick to letting each person have what they want is to make 6 individual meringues and let each person choose what they want as filling and fruit. I just think that the big pavlova is so lovely as a finish.

Find the Pavlova recipe here

Prawns with Gorgonzola and Asparagus

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:09:55 -0700

Long before I starting to write my blog for my Fabulous Foodies Fixing Fine Food for Better Health, I had been on the prowl to find or create recipes that meet my rules of a) delicious, b) beautiful to look at, and c) not horribly high in calories. Keep in mind that when I was a child I wouldn’t eat anything even remotely unusual - that meant, as my Mother would tell you, I only ate chicken (white meat only please), white bread preferably without crusts, canned peas (I always called them “grey peas”; I’m sure you can understand why), chocolate in any form, and of course, ketchup. Meals were to be endured not enjoyed. This is particularly sad because my Mother is really a very good cook. Now that I am much older I cannot believe how much I missed in my youth and how much my poor mother suffered trying to keep me healthy. I think a lot had to with the fact that my first home was in Northern Manitoba where fresh produce simply wasn’t available so we “made do” with what we could get.

I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Switzerland as a young adult. I was newly married and completely out of my depth trying to cook for a new husband in a country with entirely different ideas about food. I had no idea at all how to shop much less cook a meal for us. Language was a barrier and having to figure out grams, kilograms and so on when all I had ever known was ounces and pounds. I didn’t give up though. Out of necessity was born interest and then joy. The european approach to food was so different to what I had experienced in the late 60s in Canada’s prairie provinces. I’m not sure that I would call it sophisticated, rather there was an awareness of food that made the eating experience more than just a sustaining ritual. The markets were filled with fruit and vegetable eye candy, the meat shops brimmed with all varieties and cuts of meat. How could I not be lured in. We had a dear friend in Paris with floor space and lots of wine so we often went to visit him, visiting the local street markets, fixing makeshift meals of fresh bread, cheese, vegetables, fruit and lots of wine. It was a heady time and completely life changing for me.

Upon my return to Canada I found little to compare to what we had been able to find in Europe but could see that while it was happening slowly, great ingredients were beginning to be available and if I was a little bit patient I could find pretty reasonable substitutes. I was still wobbling with regard to my lack of courage when it came to trying new things. I was however blessed with friends who gently pulled me into the cooking, the eating, the experience of good food (THANK YOU Ellen). I can honestly say I love to cook and I love to share my recipes with other foodies. Living on beautiful Vancouver Island we have so many great markets and farm gate vendors. Our local cheese makers win international awards and great wineries abound.

This is a long and roundabout journey to a recipe I developed after having a meal out that I just loved. Once home I tried to recreate it with a couple of twists. I ended up liking my own version better and hope you will too. It is for prawns with gorgonzola over linguini and serves two.

Find the recipe here.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Onions (and strawberry shortcake)

Sat, 3 Jul 2010 17:44:55 -0700

This chicken dish came about with an ongoing effort to use what we had on hand rather than having to do lots of grocery shopping for every meal. I find it leads to wastefulness because you almost always have to buy more than you can use for one dish. So, we had mushrooms and orange pepper, chicken from the freezer and onions because we always have onions! I used quite a lot of paprika for colour as well as taste and fat free yogurt because what I really wanted was sour cream but ... well I’m sure you understand.

Hope you enjoy the chicken. You’ll find the recipe here. We are going to make it again when the kids are here visiting next week along with some homemade pasta and of course chocolate cake with zucchini and lots of other goodies.

As a bonus, and completely not health conscious is the strawberry shortcake I made a few days ago when my Mom and her fella were visiting. Sandy golfed with our good friends so we had everyone back here for a barbeque and the dessert you’ll see below. Sometimes you have to take advantage of the beautiful fruit while it is available. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!) You’ll find this recipe here

I don’t know why it is but it seems that now that we are retired we have much less time to get things done - it probably doesn’t make sense if you’re not retired but I think what happens is that we always have tomorrow to get the big things done so we fritter away our time doing the little stuff like walking in the woods, taking photos of just about anything, reading books, playing computer games, answering email and so on.

We are trying to work at decluttering the house and sheds but what really happens is that we wake up saying “OK - today we’re going to box up the teddy bears and make room in the shed for the boxes that are now in the back room.’ Well, first we have to go for a walk in the woods, dog and cameras in tow and we meet friends who we agree to meet later and have coffee (strike one). We get home, put the coffee on and then settle in for a game or two of Scrabbleblast (it’s really fun); that done we have breakfast and talk about how we’ll declutter today but maybe because it’s a really nice morning we should go for a walk down by the shore because the tide is out and, well, we can work on the decluttering later in the day (strike two). We load the cameras, dog and ourselves in the car complete with our books on the ipod to listen to while we are on the road. We almost always decide to go some distance because we are in the middle of a good story and want some listening time so it’s Port Alberni or Courtenay/Comox or Duncan or Chemainus (it was Butchart Gardens twice last week!). So we doddle along, take some photos and finally arrive back home about 5 pm just in time to take the dog for another walk in the woods, get supper made and spend time on the computers looking at the photos we taken during the day. Obviously Strike Three!!!! The next thing you know it’s bedtime and we sleep well knowing that we will be getting up tomorrow to REALLY work at the decluttering. So there is a snapshot of our lives such as they are. This is not a complaint at all, rather it is said with great joy.

Life is GOOD. How lucky we are to always have tomorrow!

Thought you might like to see the harbour seal we came across yesterday. I wouldn’t trade that experience for spending time in a dust filled, cluttered room. Also a photo of a rose from one of our Butchart trips.

Saffron Chicken and Bears

Sat, 22 May 2010 16:23:43 -0700

Well there has been much excitement in our town of late. We have become home to a pair of black bears who turn up in our yards with some regularity. I was getting ready to go out this morning and stepped out into our yard only to see the smaller of the two meandering across our next door neighbour’s backyard not more than about 50 feet (ok 15 to 20 metres) from me. Our dear pooch started barking wildly and the bear just turned and glanced over his shoulder and then carried on at the same speed. We had another encounter with the bigger of the bears on Saturday in the same neighbour’s yard. We were fortunate to have our cameras at the ready as you will see from the above photo. Sadly some people are feeding the bears and so they are becoming much more fearless.

Now on to the Saffron Chicken. I recently purchased Anne Lindsay’s newest cookbook called Lighthearted at Home. It is full of easy, flavourful and healthy recipes. We, still in the throes of working our way through the freezer, were looking for something to do with chicken thighs. Thumbing through the pages I stumbled upon Provencal Saffron Chicken and knew I’d hit the jackpot. I had everything I needed either in the fridge or the pantry and fortunately read the recipe all the way through early in the day; it needed to marinate for at least four and up to 24 hours. How many times have I made that mistake! I removed the skin and most of the fat from the thighs and then made up the mixture of paprika and turmeric, salt, freshly ground pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil. You’ll find my version of the recipe here.

I refrigerated them for the required four hours and have to say I loved the look of them. I heated the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and browned them over medium high heat. Then, one of my favourite cooking tasks, I caramelized the onions with the little bit of sugar and the remaining marinade already in the pan. I took some liberties with the recipe (as usual) but by and large stuck with it. I did omit the olives because neither of us are really fans.

After about 10 minutes I added the garlic, tomatoes and ginger root and cooked it for another 10 minutes over medium heat. The chicken went back in along with the lemon rind and saffron with its liquid and in about 25 minutes it was ready to serve. We had it the first night with steamed veg and then as a leftover with rice. I think it would be equally good with the Cookin’ Canuk’s quinoa recipe.

A note here to say that one of my readers recently tried the Streusal Pear Cake and substituted rhubarb and dried cranberries for the Pears. I love it when people try new things and was so glad to hear that they enjoyed it so much. Love getting the feedback too. It seems so appropriate to call it feedback when it applies to food doesn’t it!

Reading not Cooking

Fri, 7 May 2010 15:07:45 -0700

We have been away. Our eldest son married the love of his life and we are elated. There were gaffs, florist lost their order, best man missing until the last minute, but the thing that mattered the most happened. They were able to share their love and commitment with the people who care about them the most. It was a beautiful wedding, filled with joyous moments and more than a few tears of happiness.

That said, I have been far from my kitchen and since we both came back with terrible colds haven’t been motivated to cook anything other than eggs and toast. I have however been able to read; the most recent undertaking a magical book called “The School of Essential Ingredients” by Erica Bauermeister. This is a glimpse into the lives of eight people who assemble to take a Monday evening cooking course and their teacher, the gifted Lillian. Cooking becomes a metaphor for life. I think we’ve all been down this road on many occasions, often without realizing it. We cook certain things depending on the moods or emotions we are feeling at a given time. Comfort food, emotional eating and so on are things we all recognize.

Erica herself describes the book as follows: “The students come to learn the art behind Lillian’s dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each unknowingly seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. One by one they are transformed into the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create. Over time, the paths of the students mingle and intertwine, and the essence of Lillian’s cooking expands beyond the restaurant and into the secret corners of their lives, with results that are often unexpected, and always delicious.”

Don’t expect to be changed by this book and don’t look for recipes except in rather vague descriptions, but expect to be charmed by its magic and a little curious about where the characters might have gone once you have finished reading. I always think it is a sign of a good book when you feel as if the characters have a life after the end of the story. I guess this is why we see so many sequels and prequels to stories. Sadly they are often about characters we really don’t care much about.

I’m going to be out of commission for a few days next week but hope to get back to the kitchen before too long. Meanwhile, hubby is promising some excellent meals - maybe I can get him to blog for us.

Dancing in Your Kitchen 2

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:03:42 -0700

Every now and then there are great bargains to be had and this week we took advantage of just such a sale. Our local chain had sirloin tip roasts on for $1.99 a pound. We were a bit suspicious that maybe the roast was of inferior quality but we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy one. As it happened my May/June issue of Cooks Illustrated arrived at the same time and didn’t they just have a recipe for “Inexpensive Gas Grill-Roasted Beef with Garlic and Rosemary”. Seemed like the perfect fit and dear Hubby took up the challenge. We invited our neighbours, who have become very good friends, for dinner on Saturday evening. They were warned that we might just be ordering pizza from our local pizzeria given that it was a rather odd recipe. This is where I would normally insert a photo of the beef but it looked so gross that I decided not to share that with you (be happy - be very very happy!).

Our friends were up to the challenge and were inexplicably unworried about our culinary adventure. As it turns out they were absolutely right to be unconcerned because the recipe turned out beautifully although it perhaps could have been a bit more rare. Over all the flavour was just terrific. Our guests also brought with them the most beautiful arrangement of flowers from their garden which I can tell you is so much nicer to look at than the beef wrapped in plastic wrap.

The dessert was a Streusel Pear Cake which is one of my “go to” recipes from Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted Cookbook. I know that her recipes are reliable. I have made this many times. It is relatively low fat. While each piece is 288 calories, there are only 8 grams of fat. Find the recipe for this here.

Every time we cook, and I say “we” because dear Hubby and I often cook together, we learn something new. Even if we have a failure we try to find out why and how to fix it. More often than not though we discover more to add to our list of things we like. Working in a kitchen with your spouse can be like learning to dance. It is made up of stepping on one another’s toes at first but as it evolves, it is a most wondrous thing. I hope you learn to dance in your kitchen with someone you love.

Easter/Passover with Friends and Family

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 09:48:35 -0700

The weather was perfectly dreadful here on Vancouver Island on Good Friday - wind storms, a deluge of rain - our backyard was starting to resemble a swamp as we squish squished our way to pick fresh herbs for dinner. My 86 year old Mom and her 90 year old partner had arrived the previous day from British Columbia’s lower mainland and a good thing they did because many of the ferries were cancelled on Good Friday. We were extremely envious of our friends in Eastern Canada who were basking in the summer-like heat and sun. Nevertheless, with the wood stove burning and no obligations we thoroughly enjoyed reading, playing card games and of course cooking. Nothing is more conducive to being in the kitchen (other than a trip to a farmers’ market) than a blustery day. The weather remained poor for most of the weekend but we were determined not to let it ruin our visit.

We did get out on Saturday for a time when the weather calmed down a bit and ended up at Tim Hortons for a coffee and a treat. While there, and this is so NOT food related, a fellow arrived in a large truck with a cap on the back. He got out and went to the rear of the truck and opened the back window. We were all, and I do mean everyone in Tim’s, amazed to see four of the most beautiful bloodhounds you could imagine. You would think the circus had hit town. I would say 15 people at least were out taking photos with phones and the lucky ones, with cameras (including us as you will see). Such a sight to see. The dogs’ owner was a fascinating fellow and clearly used to having people respond to the dogs just this way. He was so knowledgeable and so happy to share information. One of the four had an extremely difficult birth and ended up blind and deaf but they kept her and she apparently has been a wonderful dog apparently having the best “nose” of the lot. He clearly loved them all. I apologize for the quality of the photo but it was taken with my iPhone. The best thing about it was that every one was smiling and laughing and anything that can cause that is not to be missed.

It was a great story but back to the food because I know that’s why you’re here. Traditionally in our house we have ham at Easter but Mom’s partner was celebrating Passover so we decided that lamb (yes more lamb) would be more appropriate. We managed to get out to a couple of markets and found some beautiful asparagus and baby Yukon Gold potatoes. Dear friends were at loose ends for Easter dinner so we invited them to join us and are so glad they agreed. They brought along a wonderful salad of mixed greens, goat cheese, walnuts and fresh raspberries. The cranberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing was terrific too.

I normally steam the asparagus but decided to try something a little different this time. I roasted it with a bit of salt and quite a bit of grated fresh parmesan cheese. It only took about 12 minutes in a hot oven (about 400 degrees F). When I took it out I sprinkled it with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper. No point giving you a recipe because the amounts are pretty much up to you but I will say that I don’t think I’ll ever steam asparagus again. The potatoes were small and beautiful so after scrubbing them I cut each into four or six pieces and tossed them with some onion chunks and sliced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper as well as freshly picked rosemary, oregano, chives and thyme. I put them in a baking dish and just let them roast away for the better part of an hour in a 400 degree F oven. Everyone seems to love roasted potatoes.

I was planning to do a dessert which is a variation of a “floating island” recipe but one of our neighbours showed up with a beautiful lemon cake so we decided that that would be quite sufficient for our taste. No one complained.

Once again, food shared with family and friends is a gift whether the food is fancy or plain. These are moments you can never get back if you miss them. Even disasterous kitchen events are bonding, adding to our stories about “Remember that time...!” Easter/Passover is a time to reflect, rejoice and share. I hope you all had as great a time as we did.