A Life, Lived

I Don't Think So

A friend of mine feels that chocolate is so amazing that anything covered with chocolate would be amazing.

To challenge that assertion I present . . .

 . . . chocolate covered onions.

Travel Tuesdays - Travels with Mom

In honour of Mother's Day I present a number of shots of travels with mom . . .

 

Mother's Day Treats

I sort of forgot that Mother's Day was creeping up on us. Because next week is pretty hectic for me at work we decided to celebrate with a nice dinner. I know people like to go out to restaurants - as someone who worked pretty well very Mother's Day from the time I was 16 until I was 34 I can tell you that that will NOT happen!

I headed out to Niagara yesterday to get treats for her gift and today we put it together.

Lots of consumables in there!

Paul was off work today so it was great to have his assistance with dinner.

We started off with cheese and crackers and grilled short ribs. Paul really wanted a Spritz - he's been craving one since our friends in Italy started posting pics of them a few weeks ago.

For the salad I made one of my favourite spring salads - asparagus, king mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, and a basil vinaigrette.

 

The main course was grilled strip loin steaks with Stilton butter, double stuffed bake potatoes, grilled fennel with parmigiano, and assorted mushrooms done in a foil pack on the BBQ.

Dessert was a strawberry rhubarb pie.

Happy Mother's Day!

Many families have posed shots. We tend to have impromptu shots full of happy memories like this one from our last day in San Francisco. We went to the beach and walked around a bit in the CRAZY wind. I remember lots of laughter that day.

Photo Hunt - Mom

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'mom'. Fitting since Sunday is Mother's Day.

This pic is mom visiting with a random cat across the road from a cheese factory. It was taken our short time away in Prince Edward County a couple of weeks ago . . .

Grilled Balsamic Asparagus

The first of the Ontario asparagus has reached the market! YEAH

One of our favourite ways to cook asparagus is to grill it.

Paul found this recipe and had some asparagus marinating when I came home from work. All that was left to do was to remove it from the bag and toss it on the grill until it was cooked.

The results were amazing!

Grilled Balsamic Asparagus

1 lb fresh asparagus
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Snap off tough ends of asparagus and wash well through 2-3 changes of cold water.

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag, seal and marinate for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat grill on high heat.

Remove asparagus from bag (discard marinade) and place on preheated oiled grill rack.

Grill 5 minutes on each side or until asparagus is done.

Good Advice

Lemon Rosemary Marinated Grilled Halibut

Fish lends itself to grilling. Grilling fish over direct heat not only cooks it quickly but also prevents it from drying out.

There are two main problems with grilling fish but with a little practice, you can overcome them quite easily. The first is keeping it from sticking. A clean grill oiled right before you put the fish on and brushing the fish with olive oil helps prevent the fish from sticking. Some people like to use a fish basket when grilling fish. They do help considerably.

The second difficulty is knowing when the fish is done. Fish will appear a little translucent before it is cooked. You will know when a fish is cooked as it becomes opaque all the way through and will flake quite easily. If any part of the fish is glossy, it still has a little longer to cook.

One of my favorite fish to cook is halibut. It is firmer than most other fish and stands up to grilling very well. It is also a good fish to start with when first grilling fish.

Lemon Rosemary Marinated Grilled Halibut

2 5 ounce Halibut steaks
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from one lemon
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Heat grill to medium heat. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, wine, and rosemary together in a small, shallow dish. Add the halibut and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat the grill.

Remove fish from marinade and season with salt and pepper. Place on grill. Cook for three to five minutes on one side. Flip and grill on other side for two to three minutes or until the fish turns opaque throughout and flakes easily.

Travel Tusdays - Monteriggioni

A number of our friends are traveling in Italy right now . . . hence my current obsession . . .

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

It has been an unusual spring. There were two or three times where I was convinced that 'stew weather' was past and I'd rush to heat up the BBQ only to be shocked by the sight of snow falling. I made this recipe on one of those days.

This stew is a little easier than most because the majority of the cooking time is in the oven where you do not need to bother with it. I like recipes like this - a bit of fuss at the beginning but then you can forget about it.

This sweet potato beef stew is a healthy twist on a classic cold weather dish. Serve this up with bread to make sure you get all the delicious sauce!

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup dry red wine or additional reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
1-1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, halved
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium turnip, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 325°. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add onions; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth and wine, stirring to remove browned bits from pan. Stir in thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Return beef to pan; bring to a boil. Bake, covered, 1-1/4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into stew. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips and turnip to pan. Bake, covered, 45-60 minutes longer or until beef and vegetables are tender. If desired, strain cooking juices; skim fat. Return cooking juices to Dutch oven.
Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).