Yesterday was by far the nicest day we've had here this year. I have been aching for the weather to turn warm (especially when I pay the gas bill each month) so I could feel the sun on my face again. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and Canadians with glaring white legs were out in full force.
We had to stay around the house in the afternoon waiting for a service appointment so I raced out of the house early in the morning to do all of my errands. Waiting for the appointment wasn't bad at all. We raked the lawn, cleaned debris from the gardens, and just loved being outside.
Unfortunately it was one of those appointments where they say 'we'll be there between 12 and 6' so we were tied up. By 3:30 we were sick of gardening (read sore) and wondering if they would ever show up! The answer of course is . . . NO! Just after 3:45 we had a call - there were too many 'emergency visits' that day so one one could come and do the inspection (this form the people who pestered us for 5 months via mail and phone to have it done). We rescheduled for one night this week and headed out for a walk.
This was the first time we've been on a walk since last fall, other than when we are on vacation. Sigh. There is no excuse for that lazy behaviour other than we really do cocoon in the winter months.
It was nice to walk though the neighbourhood and look at the changes since we were last there. The city and the developer are putting the finishing touches to the trail and park system which is wonderful. One of the reasons why we bought a house here was because of the planned network of trails and bike paths which connected parks, forests, and ravines. It has been a long 4 years waiting for them.
I decided to celebrate the return to nice weather with a nice dinner. We started off with leftover cheese from Easter. This was served with some of the remaining fig jelly which we bought when we toured the market in Florence with the amazing Judy.
I whipped up a shaker of french martinis which we enjoyed outside on the patio while I prepared the rest of the meal. One of the reasons I enjoy grilling so much is that the prep work is often minimal and the cooking is short; tonight's dinner was true to this.
We had grilled ham steak with pineapple salsa, grilled potatoes, grilled asparagus, and salad. Earlier in the day Paul whipped together a wonderful green salad with lots of fresh and crunchy veggies in it. while I made the salsa for the ham.
Grilled Ham with Pineapple Salsa
Make this simple and spicy pineapple salsa ahead of time, then when you want to eat, just grill the ham and serve.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained, reserving juice
- 2 Tbsp. orange marmalade
- 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno peppers
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1-1/2 lb. slice fully cooked center cut ham
PREPARATION:
Prepare and heat grill. Combine pineapple, marmalade, cilantro, peppers, lime juice and salt in small bowl and refrigerate until serving time.
Grill ham 4-6" from medium coals for 12-20 minutes, turning two or three times and brushing with reserved pineapple juice, until thoroughly heated.
The potatoes were equally as easy. I just sliced baking potatoes into 1 cm thick slabs. These were generously drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and whatever herbs I could find (I think I used chives and basil). I did these first because they take about 20 minutes. The slabs are laid directly on the grill, the BBQ lid is shut, and when they are nicely charred turn them over (time will very with grill and temperature).
The grilled asparagus is equally simple. I chopped the ends off of the stalk and drizzled them with olive oil.; sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and they were ready to go on the grill. I generally grill them for about 2 minutes and then roll them over so they cook evenly. When tender they come off the grill. I arranged them on a tray and sprinkled them with freshly grated Parmesan.
The entire meal took less than 30 minutes to put together - my kind of meal! We LOVED the pineapple salsa and will try it out with other grilled meats. I think it must be the combination of sweet and spicy that is so nice.
Dinner was finished off with the last of the Hagen Daz low-fat Mango Sorbet that I had found in the back of the freezer last week. I really enjoy finding treats like that hidden away.
Hello spring - we missed you!
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