Friday, July 31, 2015

Cajun Snapper


Snapper, salt and cajun spice, pan fried, fresh lemon juice drizzled over top on the plate. Steamed broccoli cooled and reheated in olive oil, got a few drops of lemon too.  New potatoes with butter and salt. The salad was a bag of tender greens from the farmers market, stick of celery and a some chopped up basil. I should have added some tomato but didn't think of it. 

Vinaigrette

2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt
pepper

A nice meal that took less than 45 minute.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Cajun Chicken


Quite straightforward, I salted and seasoned with Cajun spice the chicken breasts and brushed them with olive oil. The thin smaller local breasts from Mitchell's take 15-20 minutes on the BBQ just a bit below hi to start and then down to medium low for the second half. I want to cook the centre of the meat, not dehydrate it.

The new potatoes were boiled with salt and finished with more salt and butter. I boiled the beans then drained, cooked them and added the diced onion, garlic and olive oil. Toss the pot on medium low heat to cook the oil and onion.

Fresh garden frizee, bag of greens from farmers market. 

1+ tsp olive oil 
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt
mixed pepper
half a finely diced garlic clove

Whisk, toss and serve.

I drizzled a little lemon juice over the chicken and beans on the plate.

Fern waxed poetic over the meal.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Chicken


I salted and peppered the chicken, brushed it with olive oil and put it on the BBQ.  The new potatoes were boiled and finished with butter and salt. The broccoli was steamed, cooled under running water and reheated in olive oil. I drizzled a bit of lemon juice over the meat and broccoli on the plate. This perked it up and I didn't miss exotic seasoning on the chicken. The only innovation is a Roma tomato cut in half, seasoned with salt and black pepper, topped with grated parmesan and cooked on the top rack in the BBQ. I knew that thing had to have a purpose!

The chicken was delicious but the tomatoes were the star. I liked the broccoli and tatters too!

Snapper


I pulled the bones out, successfully this time, Fern didn't get any. Seasoned with salt and pepper then fried in olive oil.  Boiled new potatoes with butter. The vegetables are an onion chopped and sweated with a stick of celery. The frozen green peas were done in the microwave and added just before plating. 

Greek salad was cucumber, tomato, sweet onion, black olives and feta cheese.  Dress with olive and canola oil and lemon juice.

It looks a bit messy but it tasted great.

Salisbury Steak


Ground beef, the only beef, save tenderloin, that Fern likes to eat. I salted and lightly peppered the meat, formed it into patties and put it on the BBQ.  I put a packet of Bovril beef stock into the rice and put it in the microwave. It worked fine with the sauce.  The broccoli was steamed, cooled and reheated in olive oil.

I sweated an onion and got a light sear on the sliced crimini mushrooms before adding several red and yellow tomatoes from the garden. I didn't add any thickener but it cooked down and didn't need it. The yellow tomatoes were a bit too sweet for the beef. I'd use them on pork next time. For a simple meal it was awfully good.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Cajun Chicken


Salt and season two chicken breasts with Cajun Spice mix. Brush with olive oil and put on the BBQ for 25 minutes, turning several times. Plain white rice with salt, olive oil and a few drops rice vinegar. I put soy sauce on my rice after plating. 

Same old Greek Salad.

4 inches cucumber
big handful tomatoes
slice of sweet onion diced
black olives
feta cheese
salt
black pepper
olive/canola oil
white wine vinegar

Toss and serve.

Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad


Souvlaki's from Mitchell's. Brush with olive oil and put on the BBQ. About 15 minutes, turning several times. Basmati rice with salt, olive oil and a few drops vinegar or lemon. I put soy sauce on my rice because Fern prefers plain white rice, so I have to spice mine up on the plate.

Greek Salad

4 inches of cucumber
big handful of tomatoes
fresh chives
black olives
feta cheese
salt
pepper
olive oil
lemon juice

Chop it up, toss and serve. Almost no heat generated in the kitchen with this meal.

Cajun Chicken on Caesar Salad


First I lightly toasted two slices of alpine bread, then diced them up into croutons. Salt and olive oil in a frying pan and toss the croutons with more oil to give them a little more colour and that cooked olive oil flavour.  Take an egg yolk and slowly whisk in a bit under half a cup of olive/canola oil. (about 3/4 olive, 1/4 canola - The canola cuts down the bitter after taste in the olive oil ) When the oil is all emulsified, add salt, black pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, 2 cloves garlic and the juice of half a lemon.  Toss the salad in the dressing, add some croutons and parmesan cheese. Toss, add the remainder croutons and parmesan. Toss and serve.

The chicken was salted, coated with cajun seasoning, brushed with olive oil and cooked on the BBQ for 25 minutes over medium heat. A few drops of lemon juice on the plated chicken brings out the flavour. 

Prawns and Penne Pasta


This is such and easy meal if prawns were cheaper we'd have it more often.  About 6 prawns each. Put penne pasta on to cook in salted water. Sweat an onion and some fresh garlic. Add the prawns and get them pink on both sides then remove them from the pan.  Add a can of tomato sauce and boil off some of it's water. Add the prawns back in. Add a handful of chopped fresh basil.  I used too much so don't over do it. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and serve. Fresh grated parmesan on top. It's easy and always good. The over abundance of basil made it a bit too perfumy, so I'll be more reserved next time.

Pork Curry


I diced up some boneless pork chops, sweated a diced onion and browned the pork in the pan. I sprinkled 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder over everything and cooked it a minute.  Then I added celery, green pepper and a can of coconut milk.  I had the heat on medium high so the coconut milk would boil off and thicken.  This rubberized the pork, I should have taken it out of the pan, reduced the coconut milk, then return the pork to the pan and it would have come out tender. But I didn't do that. When the curry was thick enough I added handful of pineapple chunks. They just need to get hot, not cooked. A splash of pineapple juice from the can will perk up the curry. Add more if it's too salty or too spicy. Served on basmati rice cooked with salt, olive oil and a few drops vinegar.

It was really good, I'm getting much better at making curry.

Pork Steak with Greek Salad


A cheaper cut of pork but still has lots of flavour. I started with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and added a teaspoon of honey.  Brush that on while it's cooking. The rice was white with a few drops of lemon juice to give a little tang.  The Greek salad was straightforward. Tomatoes, cucumber, celery, onion, black olives, salt, pepper and feta cheese. Drizzle olive with a little canola oil over top. Sprinkle vinegar or lemon juice over the salad and toss.

A simple but satisfying meal.

Tacos


I forgot to photograph before I started eating but it was so good I had to take it anyway.  I started with an onion diced, stick of celery diced and sweated those till the onion got a little colour. Browned the meat, added taco seasoning. 

It's been several days since I made this and can't remember what went in it now. I do remember that I added fresh lime juice to the beans and guacamole. It was all quite wonderful.



Sunday, July 12, 2015

Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad


Pork Souvlaki from Mitchell's. Cook it over medium high heat for 15 minutes on the BBQ. Turning every few minutes. When they're done, hold the skewer against your chest and push each piece off with a carving fork. This way you don't knock food all over the counter when it lets go suddenly.

The rice was done in the microwave with a whole lemon rinded into it. A few drops of lemon juice, olive oil and salt. It was delicious!

Carrot garnish was a grated carrot with a teaspoon of sugar, salt, oil and a bit of rice wine vinegar. Sweet and sour. It helped.

Greek Salad

4 inches English cucumber diced - the skin isn't bitter so you can eat it
2 medium size tomatoes diced
1 celery stalk diced - optional, Fern loves celery
handful black olives
50 gm feta cheese
chives - handful fresh from the garden or onion
salt
black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Crumble the feta over everything and toss. Add the oil and vinegar and toss again.  Plate

We had a guest for dinner and he practically inhaled his food. I think it's better than he's used to.

Cajun Chicken


Salt and sprinkle Cajun spice over the chicken and BBQ for twenty minutes over medium high flame. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out.

The rice is done in the microwave with salt, olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar.

Vegetable Medley

1 green pepper
1 stick celery
1 onion diced
1/2 cup corn microwaved
1 tsp flour

Put frozen corn in microwave to cook but stop it a bit early so it will finish in the pan. Sweat the onion then add the celery and pepper. Sweat them and sprinkle the flour over top. Toss. Add a packet of chicken bullion over top and 3/4 cup water. Bring heat up to medium high and cook most of the liquid off. Add the corn, toss and plate. Fern really liked this combination.

A few drops of lemon or lime juice on the chicken while plating would have helped, but it was quite good as it was.



Saturday, July 11, 2015

Pork Souvlaki and Greek Salad


Pork Souvlaki done on the BBQ. Medium high heat and keep turning every few minutes for 15 minutes. The rice is done in the microwave with salt, olive oil and a few drops of white vinegar. I served mine with soy sauce because I like it and it goes fine with pork.

Greek Salad

2 tomatoes
4 inches english cucumber
stick of celery
fresh chives from the garden
black olives - pitted don't hurt when you bite them
feta cheese - goat feta is richer, cow feta is fine
salt
black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Toss and serve.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Tacos!


Simple but a fair amount of chopping to get this meal done.  I julienne the lettuce so it's easier to eat with the rest of the plate. The tomatoes, cucumber, celery and hot pepper were cut up as usual for salad. I seasoned with salt, pepper and drizzled olive oil, canola oil and apple cider vinegar over the salad. Then tossed and plated it.

I diced a sweet onion, stalk of celery and hot pepper into the frying pan.  I sweated the veggies a minute then added the ground beef with a little salt.  When the beef was browned I added the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water.  The taco seasoning has plenty of salt so I shouldn't have added more. I simmered the filling till it thickened.

Guacamole

1 avocado mashed
1/3 mild pepper finely diced
1 slice sweet onion finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
juice 1/2 lime - use whole lime if it's a bit dry
1 tbsp sour cream 

Mash it up with a fork.

Refried Beans

1 can Old El Paso Refried Beans - they taste best
1/4 cup grated cheddar
juice 1/2 lime
1 tbsp sour cream

I grated about a cup of cheddar for the meal, which was a little much. I added some cheddar to the taco filling pan and let it melt. Then started filling tacos and adding more cheese on the filling then rolling them up. I topped the taco with the guacamole. If I'd had time I would have put the filled tacos in the oven for a few minutes to heat the shell and melt cheese on top. 

This is a lovely fresh meal, takes about 90 minutes to make. Well worth the time.


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Thyme Chicken Breast


Chicken on the BBQ. This time instead of grabbing the Cajun spice I decided to go more herb and I salted and seasoned with dried thyme. Then I brushed it with oil and put it on the BBQ. The rice is basmati with salt, oil and a few drops cider vinegar. I put a bit of soy sauce on my rice, Fern prefers his plain. That left only the vegetables. 

I didn't want broccoli again. There has to be something else green we can eat! Fern likes celery so that's always a good place to start. I chopped up two stalks of celery and a branch of fennel. I also got some chives from the garden and chopped them into the pan.  Sprinkle a teaspoon of flour over the celery and cook it a minute. Then add a packet of chicken stock and some water. I had a few peas in the microwave cooking. When they were done I drained them and mixed them into the celery. 

The chicken was really good. I didn't over cook it so it was super moist. The fennel barely came through in the celery which was what I hoped for. Peas and celery with a hint of liquorice tastes great, Fern said "Serve that again!"



Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Walmart Pecan Brownies



These are the easiest and best tasting brownies I've tried. Walmart's Waterbridge chocolate bars are the cheapest source of good quality chocolate I've come across.


3oz butter - 3/8 of a cup
100gm Waterbridge Milk Chocolate - two rows
100gm Waterbridge Extra Dark Chocolate - two rows
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 cup lightly chopped pecans

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment and spray or brush with a little oil. The oil isn't absolutely necessary. If you haven't tried parchment now is the time, it makes removing from pan so easy once you try it you'll never go back.

Melt the buttter and chocolate together and remove from heat. Add the sugar, mix with a wooden spoon. Add eggs, mix. Add vanilla, mix. Add flour and beat hard for 2 minutes or until it loses it's grainy texture and becomes glossy. Mix in pecans. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Time is critical, a little under done and they fall apart when cut. A little over done and they are dry

Let cool completely. Lift paper out of pan, put the whole thing on a cake stand and use a sharp knife to cut around the dome. Remove excess paper.



Pork Cutlet


Mitchell's pork cutlet fried, broccoli steamed and finished in olive oil. Boiled new potatoes with salt and butter. Apple sauce is the condiment.

Lettuce, tomato and cucumber in the salad with olive, canola oil, salt, mixed pepper and red wine vinaigrette. 

A nice fresh meal.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

A Trip to the Laughing Oyster Restaurant

I think the Laughing Oyster is the best value on the coast for food, ambiance and spectacular setting. Arguably the Alchemist in town may have equally delicious fare, but it doesn't have Desolation Sound next door.

This time we brought our neighbours Jill & Chris. They rode in our car for the 25 minute drive to the Oyster.




The view from these outside tables.



Fern digging in to the cabbage and jicama cole slaw and Chris in the baguettes.


At the carvery Chef Dave with his traditional prayer for peace, love and gravy.


Finish the evening with a little music. That's chef Dave playing on the left.