Hungry Day

Here's some rare roast beast from Il Negozio NiCastro on Wellington. For dinner last night, Adam piled it it between two slices of baguette -- one of which had been buttered and the other slathered in Lady Ash Burnham pickle.

It was a hungry day, as Lucy's dad would say.

Nine Years Later

Saturday the 13th

Already Autumn

Adam's been eating these little open-facers every day for a week. To make, just slather a piece of salty baguette with any mild goat's cheese and top with spoonfuls of fig compote.

To cook your own compote, gently simmer a large handful of halved, black figs with a few splashes of leftover white wine, two pinches each cinnamon, crushed coriander, chili flakes, cloves, and nutmeg, plus a small knob of chopped fresh ginger. Oh yeah, and add a couple spoons of brown sugar to sweeten the pot.

Bondable

Found

Ladies Night

Holding On

It's back-to-school time, but I'm not ready to say good-bye to summer yet. 30 degree weather demands light-tasting food and delicious drinks.

So, refresh with a green smoothie! Just blend together one banana, a peach or nectarine, a couple handfuls of raw spinach, a half cup of plain yogurt or kefir, and a half cup or so of water. Oh, and throw in a little cube of peeled, fresh ginger. Surprisingly healthy and delicious!

Or fill up on arugula salad topped with fresh figs and magic beans. I served this with smoked turkey breast sandwiches and red quinoa dressed with truffle oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Better Butter Tarts

Lucy says her mum's butter tarts are "so good people talk about them for years after they try them." She even dreamed about them the other night, not knowing that her mum had been cooking a huge batch the very same day.

Magic Beans

Remember the fable of Jack and the Beanstalk? Conveniently, my father (née John) goes by 'Jack' and his organic vegetable garden is the stuff of legends.

Last week, Sarah and Jeremiah delivered two bursting boxes from Dad's garden. Since then, we've been stuffing ourselves full of cucumber sandwiches, cucumber crudités dipped in tzatziki, and Japanese salads with cukes, mirin, and black sesame seeds. Plus, Jeremiah brought over a container of his roasted carrot soup -- perfect with crusty bread and garlicky string bean salad, which we've been eating by the bowlful. And yesterday, the last of our red and yellow chard was sauteed and served alongside black olive pasta with three mushroom marinara.

The purple string beans, shown above, are a wax variety well-suited to New Brunswick summers. Want to know what makes them magic? You'll have to watch them while they cook to find out.