My love affair with tomatoes continues.....

My kid really loves goat cheese

My tomato love story

Adventures with Anis et Marjolaine

We lived in St. Lazare, QC for 2 years. I think the food culture there was what really started to turn me into a hardcore foodie. One of the places that was a huge influence for me was a wonderful bistro called Anis et Marjolaine.

When we left Quebec and moved to Rhode Island, Alvaro and Ashley (the owners) delighted us with a visit. We pigged out on every kind of local seafood we could get our hands on, did all the touristy things (if you have not been to Block Island, RI - I highly recommend it).

So, how excited were we to find out they were going to come down to our new home in Roanoke, VA this summer to see us! Timing was not the greatest as they had planned on coming via NYC, but Irene had other ideas for them. After doing some other stops though, they made it to our place.

And we ate.

Most of what I know about cooking I learned from watching James Barber on CBC in my early 20s. I didn't even really start watching him because I wanted to know how to cook, but rather because I lived in the country and we only had 3 channels so my viewing choices were limited, and I was very bored. But, once I decided I liked cooking and liked food - there was no stopping me. So, to be able to work so close to a real chef - and one whose cooking I so enjoyed while we lived down the street from his bistro - oh my!!!

We started our cooking their first morning. I opened our freezer to have a look at what meat we could have for supper and found two HUGE bones that were labeled Osso Bucco. Now, traditional Osso Bucco has the bones cut to much smaller size, and we realized this could be a problem. Our bones were more like half of a cow leg!

Alvaro was sure this would not be a problem (I was ready to just give up) and that we would be able to figure out how to get the bone cut. We discussed taking it to a store here to see if they would do it, but I have not established a good enough relationship with any of the butchers (read: I don't know any of them at all) here to ask them for help with a cut of meat that I was not buying from them.

Next, Alvaro asks if we have a saw - any old saw. I was not sure so I texted my husband at work with the question "do we have a saw?". Sure enough, minutes after I sent the text I found a saw so texted him back with "never mind". We then decided to be punchy and send him another text saying "Do we have any duct tape?" Followed again by "Never mind". We were just about to text him "Do we have any duffel bags?" when he called all in a tizzy asking us what the heck we were doing. Laughed until my tummy hurt I tell you!

Alvaro and Ashley really took one for the team and sawed their way through the bone making our meat the right size (soooooo grateful for that!)

Then it was off to the market to get our ingredients. I could say every single day how lucky and grateful I am that we can buy our ingredients this way????

Home to start the cooking! Chop, chop, chop

And the kitchen started to smell like.....

um.....

OSSO BUCCO!!! Oh I wish my kitchen always smelled like that.

Not to be outdone, Jenna had to make her ma naan ma naan bread to go with dinner:

 And after a few hours, lots of laughs and a huge learning curve for me - supper was ready

Yep, we eat like this ever day....

I wish!!!!! A huge thank you to Alvaro and Ashley for all their hard work in the kitchen. I learned so much.

Homegrown Tomatoes - A True Love Story

Years ago I somehow stumbled across Guy Clark's song "Homegrown Tomatoes".  I believe I was listening to CKUA at the time. I remember, I was driving home from a long day being a substitute teacher, it was summer and when I heard the song - I thought to myself: OMG that is so true. There is nothing in the world like homegrown tomatoes.

Often when I am having my tomato bun at breakfast I catch myself singing this song:

YOU MUST LISTEN TO HIM SING:
http://youtu.be/1-QzLIjL1u4

(my morning homegrown tomato bun)




Ain't nothin' in the world that I like better
Than bacon & lettuce & homegrown tomatoes
Up in the mornin' out in the garden

Get you a ripe one don't get a hard one
Plant `em in the spring eat `em in the summer
All winter with out `em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' & diggin'
Every time I go out & pick me a big one

Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes

You can go out to eat & that's for sure
But it's nothin' a homegrown tomato won't cure
Put `em in a salad, put `em in a stew
You can make your very own tomato juice
Eat `em with eggs, eat `em with gravy
Eat `em with beans, pinto or navy
Put `em on the site put `em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle

If I's to change this life I lead
I'd be Johnny Tomato Seed
`Cause I know what this country needs
Homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see
When I die don't bury me
In a box in a cemetery
Out in the garden would be much better
I could be pushin' up homegrown tomatoes

~~~

I don't think I have ever loved tomatoes as much as I have this year - and I've grown tomatoes for years.

Today I'm making tabbouleh and fresh salsa.

There's nothing in the world that I like better.....

Limited by local food?

I was shopping at Jamiesons the other day and realized that I am really limited by local food. In that, if I am preparing a shopping list, I really can only plan out the paper and dry products I want to buy.

I don't normally have to buy meat. We bought a 1/4 of beef (not enough) and a 1/2 of pork from Sandy River Farms a month or so after we moved here. They also sell chicken at the local coop which I try to pick up when I see it. I need to put in an order for chicken from them so I always have some in my freezer. (I have a story about the chicken episode of 2008 which turned me off of chicken for 2 years - so finding chicken I love is a big deal).

So, the meat is already dealt with, now the veggies/fruit. I try to do about 80% veggie with our meals vs the 80% meat we want to have.

Here's a thing about me. I am either thinking about what I will eat, eating, or thinking about what I just ate. So, I spend time during my day planning out our supper. But, I have found here that I can't really plan it out. The other day I wanted a salad. I went to the coop to get lettuce (I have been growing it here, but I need better dirt - my garden sucks) and they only had lettuce from California. When I started looking, most of their produce was from USA, but not "local", so I didn't buy any. I went on. Because I was really there to buy goat cheese, which comes from a local farmer, I made my purchase - but then had to figure out how to get my veggies.

We have wonderful farmer's markets - but they're at their peak near the end of the week and this was a Monday - so that option was out. I went to Jamison's Orchard on the way home to see what they had. This was where I realized how truly, if you want to eat locally, you are limited.

The thing is, this is not a bad thing. Eating tomatoes has taken on a whole new passion for me the past month or so. Local, fresh, ripe tomatoes are so tasty! Have you noticed how store bought tomatoes have no taste? Same thing with all the other fruits and veggies.

If this kind of amazing food is how I am limited - please keep me limited forever!

If you're going to eat it... it should be a 10

I had a good (and very skinny) friend when I lived in Quebec who told me of her philosophy on having desserts. That was, that if she was going to eat a high calorie dessert, it had to be a 10 or else it was not worth it. And although I have the occasional slip (like Thursday when I practically ate my weight in M&M's even though I don't particularly care for them and would rate them maybe a 2) these are words I try to live by.

Searching out sweets that are a 10 can be harder than you would think. It has made me a picky dessert eater. Which is a good thing since I don't have much self control around the ones that I find that are a 10. Good baklava, good ice cream, Jenna's home made biscotti - these are among the top of my favourite list)

Last weekend we went to the Salem Farmer's Market for the first time. What an experience. We have gone to a few of the other Farmer's Markets in the area, but had not made this one yet. I love, love, love that I now live in an area where there is so much locally grown produce and local meats to choose from. But, there was a certain smell coming from the end of the Salem market that had my nose a twitching. Once I saw the sign, I knew I had reached my destination gastronomique:

What's that? Homemade doughnuts? Oh, the smell, I wish blogger had a smell button. My mouth was watering something fierce. You know I had to try one. We got our spot in line and I began watching them make the doughnuts. It was really something to see.

They started with the dough, cutting it and shaping it. Then into the pan with oil it goes.

It then gets all icing-ed up and hung for a few seconds...

Before going into tummies as fast as possible.

Oh they were definitely a 10. Healthy? Not at all, but we all have to indulge once in a while. If you're going to - I highly recommend this method!