A Weekend of Epic Eating

I love long weekends.  This weekend started out with driving a couple of hours to Martensville on Friday after work.  We stayed with some family (Kim and Errol), and they were wonderful hosts.  I didn't want them to go through any trouble or worry about feeding us, etc., but Kim loves to cook as much as I do ... and cook she did!

We arrived to some munchies, which we enjoyed on the deck.  We had shrimp nachos and tortillas filled with a delicious spicy corn, mango mixture.  It was so nice, we stayed outside and visited until we were ready for bed.

 

 

 

 

The next morning we were up early to drive 10 minutes in to Saskatoon to spend the day with my mom.  We stopped for breakfast at Poached before grabbing some belated mothers' day flowers and other goodies for my mom.

Kim really wanted to make us dinner on the Saturday evening and breakfast before we left the next morning.  Dinner was incredible, and one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had.  She made lobster mac and cheese with veggie skewers on the side.

Cappuccino cheesecake and key lime pie for dessert!

After dinner we just took it easy, visiting on the deck while enjoying the beautiful weather.  The boys set off some fireworks, which was entertaining.  The first few were pretty great, but then the last half of the pack were duds ... it was fun anyway!

 

 

 

They had offered to let us take their quad out for an hour or so, since I love am pretty much obsessed with quading, but we never got around to it.  Some other time ...

We were up early the next morning and enjoyed an epic breakfast before getting on the road to come home.  Breakfast included new potatoes fried in cream and dill, scrambled eggs with green onions, sausages stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon, and toast.

 

I tried a tiny taste of Marmite, which I had never heard of before.  I hear it's a British thing.  I didn't try enough, so I'll have to have it again some time to discover if I like it or not.

Have you ever heard of Marmite?  Have you had it?  

How was your weekend? 

Thursday Things

1)  There are certain foods that I bite into and they bring me back to childhood.  One of those foods is a peach.  I grabbed this nice basket of little peaches the other day, and they are perfectly ripe.



Another food that brings me back is a carrot right from the garden.  I used to pluck one from the ground, simply brush off the dirt and take a bite.  Organic food at it's finest.  When I was a small child, my mom used to grow all of our vegetables, and my dad fed and raised animals for meat.  I miss being so close to the food that I eat.

2)  Last night we enjoyed spaghetti and turkey meatballs for dinner.  Spaghetti is definitely one of my favourite meals.



3)  I picked up three cheeses from the Bulk Cheese Warehouse, that I don't think I had ever tried before.  We've been snacking on them for the past couple of weeks, and really enjoy all three.


 
 

4)  It is Victoria day on Monday, which means it is a long weekend!  We're going on a little road trip to visit my mom, and also have sushi and karaoke plans with friends/family when we get home.

5)  Earlier this week I went out for lunch with a coworker to Flavours of India.  Their lunch buffet is top-notch.



6)  For dinner one evening this week we drove just out of town to a restaurant called The Ice House.  They are very well known for their homemade burgers.  I had the smallest one, the ice cube (although it is not very small, and Christopher still had to help me with it ... and the fries).



7)  A few people commented on my spider nest ninja skills.  Let me clarify.  I'm not as brave as you think.  There were no spiders in or around the nests, only cacoon-like little nests with what looked like microscopic eggs.  I used a stick to knock them down, and then stomped them and sprayed them with Raid.  I had a lot of spiders in my backyard last year, and I'm hoping that getting rid of all these little nests will prevent the spiders from choosing my yard to terrorize this year. 

8)  We had an easy dinner this evening - pita pizzas. 

What are your plans for the long weekend? 

Outside

I think we skipped over spring in these parts, and just went right from winter to summer.  I've been trying to get outside as much as possible, because after the winter that we had, I don't want to waste one minute of the long-awaited sunshine and warmth. 

I love sitting on the deck and sipping beverages, and enjoying delicious meals cooked on the BBQ.



In for the close up ...



Smokies are always better once they split open!



I've slowly, but surely been getting the yard ready for an epic summer.  I pulled the fire-pit out of hibernation a few days ago in anticipation of many fires this summer.  I also used my extreme, expert, ninja skills to attack and obliterate the many, menacing spider nests tucked away in crevices along the carport and fences.  I'm determined to beat those hideous beasts! 

We're planning to plant some herbs, flowers and tomatoes in the next couple of weeks, once we're guaranteed frost-free nights.  I'm looking forward to fresh mint for mojitos, chives for salads and baked potatoes, and cilantro for ... well ... everything.  Obviously. 

Is your yard ready for summer?  Are you planting anything this spring/summer?

Shanghai Noodles with Pork

Shanghai Noodles with Pork

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 packages fresh Shanghai noodles (about 900 grams)
1 lb ground pork
1 T soy sauce
1-2 T sesame oil
3 T ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups bok choy, thinly sliced
sesame seeds (to garnish - optional)
Sriracha sauce (for spice - optional)

Sauce:

2 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
1 T oyster sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T sake, or Chinese cooking wine, or substitute
pepper to taste

1 T cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Marinate the meat in 1 T of soy sauce, salt and pepper.  Mix the sauce.  Make the cornstarch mixture.  Heat sesame oil in a wok, and then add 1/2 of the garlic and ginger.  Cook one minute on medium.  Add the pork and cook until done.  Remove.  Add the rest of the ginger and garlic and the bok choy.  Cook until tender.  Add the noodles and use a fork or wooden spoon to break them up.  Add the sauce and cornstarch mixture.
Toss around until heated through.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve!  Spice it up with Srirach or other chili sauce.

Yummmmmm!

This was a perfect Monday night dinner - full of flavour, and easy to throw together.  We'll definitely be making this again.  I spiced mine up with just a touch of Sriracha, and it was perfect.

 

Saturday BBQ

Friday evening was too windy to BBQ, but last night was gorgeous.  We threw some corn, lobster tails and haloumi cheese on the grill after it had gotten dark.

 

It was a lazy weekend inside, but that's okay because we have a few busy weekends coming up.
 

How was your weekend?

Weekend

We had planned to BBQ last night, but it was too windy, so we cooked inside instead.

Dinner was followed by watching Silver Linings Playbook and crashing early.   Have you seen this movie yet?  

The sun is shining today, and we were up by about 7:30 a.m.!  

Our first "breakfast" included fruit, juice and tea.

This was followed by a more filling, and caffeinated breakfast a couple of hours later.

This should hold us over until we BBQ later tonight.  

What are you up to this weekend?

Regina Kebab House

This evening we went out to one of the city's newest restaurants, Regina Kebab House.  We started with the hummus which was very fresh and beautifully presented. 

 

The owner then brought us a couple falafal to try.  The spice in these was perfect, and they were definitely the best falafel I've ever had.

For the main course, Christopher had the mixed platter with beef and chicken.  The meat was extremely tender and very juicy - cooked to perfection.  

I had the chicken shawarma wrap.  Mmmmmmm!  This wrap far surpasses those at restaurants like Zam Zam and Prairie Donair due to it's complexity of flavour.  It had a touch of spice, some sourness from the pickled turnip, smokiness from the meat, and much more ... It will be hard to go back and order something different because I'll want this again!

When I asked about the pickled turnip the owner said that they are ordered right from Lebanon, as are all the spices.  

 

To end our meal we were given some complimentary baklava.  

We don't have many Mediterranean style restaurants in the city - this one is definitely a keeper!

Do you like Mediterranean food?  Hummus?  Falafal?