Cool/hot and easy

After three days with friends in Saskatoon, the road beckoned, and so did the need for a grocery store.

Because we're on the way to see other friends, we only needed to grab a few things, and were able to be in and out of the store in a flash.

Among our grabs was one of those reliable convenience foods, supermarket-cooked chicken. This one was supposed to be a 'Stampede Smoked' variety, though it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It seems they'd slathered it with some sort of 'smokehouse' barbecue flavouring, but only at the last second, so the sauce hadn't even been absorbed into the meat -- just floated on the skin like thickly applied too-red make-up.

Whatever. Thick slices of the chicken worked just fine as part of big individual salads, one of the nicest one-dish meals around, especially in warm weather.

As for the hot part of this cool supper was the improvised salad dressing. I thinned out the last of the wasabi mayonnaise with olive oil until it was a good consistency for pouring. Cool and hot at the same time!

With homemade homous (made by Robert, our host in Saskatoon) and a baguette, this was a wonderfully easy Saturday supper -- perfect for while we watched the hockey game.

Cool supper for a hot night

Today, we stopped at a supermarket and fell for the idea of a pre-cooked turkey breast. I don't know if it was a matter of just thinking Easter or what.

When we stopped for the day, we were in a place that felt too hot to cook. The turkey, along with a bunch of greens, peppers, onions and tomatoes made a heaping big sort-of-chef salad.

Naturally, I wanted something-we-didn't-have to top it off -- ranch-style dressing.

But we did have chive and onion cream cheese, so I used a fork to whip some of that with milk and our usual (homemade) salad dressing. A bit thick, but flavour-wise, it worked.

Even a few sunflower seeds (which seem appropriate for Kansas, where we are) showed up in the cupboard to top it off.

First barbecue of the season

Autumn, that is.

The Dear Man cooked up some chicken thighs on the barbie. Have to admit, I love the smells of that.

Besides the usual green salad, I made a tabbouleh too -- using lots of parsley and mint from the garden. Some fresh homous and pita breads and we're even eating outside. Why? Because we can -- not a situation we can count on much longer.

Something crabby

Anyone who’s read this blog a few times knows I hate throwing out food – that I just about always seem to find some way to use whatever didn’t get eaten during a previous night’s meal. Tonight’s no different, only I’ll admit I had trouble coming up with what to call our supper-in-a-bowl.

After a bit of research, I’m still not much clearer as to what it is we’re eating tonight. Calling it a bisque isn’t really correct, because let me say it right off: I did not grind last night's crab shells with a mortar and pestle.

From what I can tell, it’s probably not really a chowder either. Whatever it is, we’re eating it and not surprisingly, it tastes pretty darn good.

A few garden potatoes went into the pot, as well as a fair bit of parsley and chives picked from out back.

Along with the soup/bisque/chowder, there’s a green salad topped up with the crabmeat we couldn’t quite finish last night.

Once again, aside from the bread (it’s the flour that makes it so difficult – wheat really doesn’t like to grow here), we’re dining within the bounds of the 100-mile diet, including a few of those tidbits that qualify as part of our 100-foot diet.

Still summer pizza

It was much more than changing the page on the calendar. This afternoon there were a few splatters of rain. And when the breeze picked up, I even saw some colourful leaves swirling down. So the signs are definitely here.

Still, a visit with friends who live by the beach reminded me that summer's still with us, along with the bounty it brings.

The friends were generous about sharing the season's ongoing crop of figs. The figs are perfectly ripe, so besides the one I ate on the spot during the picking, I used a few of them to make our evening's salad.

Figs and sliced pepper and chunks of blue cheese. While I played at making that, the Dear Man picked up a pizza to go with it. A few slices of easy pizza and all that luscious fruit made for a nice still-summer supper.

Middle East and then some

It all sounds so lazy, especially after a night out at friends' -- but hey, it's still summer, so we're enjoying it.

I'd found some pre-marinated pork kebabs (souvlaki style) that were on mega-sale, so they were the base for our supper.

I used the last of the lettuce and a bunch of other good vegies in the salad, but I can't exactly call it a Greek salad. Not only because of the lettuce, but because it's filled with blue cheese, not feta.

We also had the fabulous eggplant spread, salata de vinita -- Romanian eggplant salad. Not quite Mediterranean, moving on towards the Black Sea.

Whatever, wherever. It made for a delightfully easy and enjoyable summer meal.

Pampering myself

The Dear Man's gone off for a weekend boat cruise with the guys, so I'm having a Saturday night to myself.

I'm using a special tin of tuna, one I've been saving for just such an occasion. It's Pacific Coast wild albacore, packed in Nanaimo, B.C. so might even qualify for the 100-mile diet.

I've built myself a salad using all the things I love and even topped it with spiced nuts I made for this summer's camping. The mix is a luxurious blend of cashews, almonds and pecans -- not a single peanut in the gallery. There were even a few deluxe crackers left for a bit of bready crunch.

And as if that isn't enough, I rented a couple of DVDs and might even make myself popcorn (real, not microwaved) for a treat later on.

Quick and early

I'm off to an event tonight -- one where I have to make a brief presentation. Since I don't know whether there'll be food there or not, I thought I better chomp on something before I head out (I'd hate to fall over in the midst of my talk!).

Shrimp from the freezer with the last chunks of Emmenthal, spread out on a bed of fresh vegies. Voila!

A culinary romance

He did the outside cooking. I did the in.

A summery night, so I made the salad mostly from tomato and two kinds of peppers, then filled it with big hunks of love -- er, blue cheese.

He did the barbie: thin slices of steak combined with the food of love, fresh oysters.

Homous and bread and another perfect summer evening, to sit outside and eat with the one I love.

Family supper Sunday

Family suppers on Sunday are quite the tradition here. We don't manage them every week, but nearly. Those last few minutes always take a bit of doing. While I've been in the kitchen, luckily someone's been starting to set the table.

And while I've been in the kitchen, mostly taking coverings off the devilled eggs, tomato salad and rice salad (made with a satisfying Thai red rice), even more's been going on. The Dear Man's been on barbie duty, cooking up some chicken thighs, a couple of little pork tenderloins and a chunk of wild salmon for our non-carnivore guest.

It's funny, as this blog goes on, everybody wants their plate to get into the act. This week's prize for aesthetic arrangement goes to this one -- note especially the casually arranged bits of alfalfa sprout...

Hot day, cool food

We've moved to yet another island, Saltspring this time. After a long swim in the lake, a cool supper is all we're up for. Lots of local greens (including ones from the garden here) went into a gorgeous salad, along with a big bowl of shrimp for each of us to add. For a day as hot as this one, perfecto!

Piled high salad

After a very full day -- filled with both accomplishment and frustration -- it's an evening for an easy supper. Besides, tonight it's just me.

Not all of the chicken I cooked on Sunday went into the tortillas. Some of it went into a nice, chunky chicken salad. The Dear Man took some in a sandwich for his lunch today. I get to mound the rest on a bowl of greens and toss on a bunch of sunflower seeds for extra crunch.

Just the thing to curl up with in front of some mindless tv show.

Another ladies' night

As I know I've said before, we're probably not your traditional 'ladies' -- although really, who knows what that term might mean.

As always, there was a great assortment of yummy treats: two kinds of chicken (one baked in salsa and cheese), a couple of salads, some swirly rolled-up tortilla nibblies and an amazing pear with carmelized onion concoction topped off with brie. Wow!

And this was just the first go-round. Later there was a sushi assortment, followed by Jane's divine strawberries dipped in chocolate. And to think I'll be away for the next gathering!

Friday night barbie

While this weather holds, we're doing yet another barbecue. Tonight, we're even joined by good friends.

Besides the chicken and bockwurst and spicy prawns cooked on the barbie, there's a macaroni salad and a lentil one. Dressing on the lentil one is partly of walnut oil, so it's even extra heart-healthy. There's a spinach salad with chunks of walnut on the table. Over here on the counter is just where we serve up the main shovelfuls.

I had fun making sort of an atomic flower on top of the lentil salad. It looked pretty brownish and plain, so I layered slices of half-pepper and stuck some parsley and a chive flower in the middle. Even if not terribly symmetrical, a fun decoration (and edible).

Dessert was going to be berries and ice cream, but our pal brought beautiful chocolate treats. Couldn't have done better if she'd had ESP!

Hot night, cool supper

This afternoon, I made a macaroni salad -- even though it's really for tomorrow night's supper. Now that it's nice and chilled, I added a bit of tuna to it, then used the rest of the tuna (tinned) and mixed it with celery and mayo for an easy (and cool) sandwich.

With some cold juice, outside on the deck -- yes, a summery supper, just for me.

Looks like summer

It feels like summer too -- the air is warm and sweet, so, a summer supper it is. The Dear Man cooks up his usual magic on the barbie. A 'mixed grill' of pork, chicken and sausage just about fill the left-hand side. On the right, the vegetarian items: asparagus, tofu dogs and fake-chicken-breast units.


When it's ready, everything gets piled onto the counter in the kitchen, where everyone serves themselves whatever combo they might be interested in -- potato salad, rice salad, even corn on the cob.

Then we take our plates outside to where the tables are set, out on the deck. Bread and homous and green salad, along with mustards and condiments await us there too.

And this is how my plate looked, just before I dove in. End of May, end of spring, and on into a summer of fun and good eating!

Shrimp on the barbie!

Okay, prawns. Whatever. The arrival of out-of-town friends meant an evening for celebration.

On the red platter, next to the seafood, there's salmon that was marinated in a blend of olive oil and maple syrup (the real thing), then also cooked on the barbecue. With a baguette and a few salads, we were set.

The rice salad (dark blue bowl, upper left) is one I usually make with brown rice. This version is from an interesting Thai rice, 'red cargo'. Although that name sounds like something from a Tintin comic, its flavour is seriously delicious.

Salmich night

As always, we can pick and assemble our meals however we wish. Chicken strips and salmon squares were the primary choices tonight.

I took a fresh bun, spooned on tartar sauce, then added a salmon patty and lots of lettuce. Presto, a fishburger.

Fries were lots of fun, but the noodley salad made me think of parties in summer -- that Asian salad loaded with sprouts and cabbage and almonds and love.

Second time 'round

While I was out last night, the Dear Man had one of those all-inclusive barbecue chicken dinners from the supermarket. Even though he'd shared it with a friend of ours, there was still a lot left.

I took the meat off the bones and simmered us a broth from them. A few Chinese dumplings make it more of a meal. The salad is filled with chunks of the chicken meat.

Especially where the chicken dinners were on sale this week, two nights meals mean a really good bargain!

Girls' Night In

After a day of wandering an array of galleries and markets and shops, a quiet little supper of salad, bread and cheese looks like about all these two weary girls are up for. Oh yes, the last wee bit of yesterday's carnitas tossed on top. Buena noche.